Careless Whispering
by misspandalily
Summary: 17: Neji, Tenten and Lee are fairies who run a catering business together. Mostly AU oneshots. Mainly NejiTen.
1. Careless Whisper

**Hey! So, admittedly not one of my multi-chapter stories, but this has been leaping around in my head for a while. I've been writing out about a million one shots, however, so this will be my sort-of one shot bank and I have no reason to doubt that this fic will be updated more frequently than the others. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything in here, except the plot.**

Neji Hyuga isn't one for speaking. His voice comes out through his music, the soothing romanticism of the saxophone, and the pouring out of his soul through jazz melodies.

He'd spent the majority of his high school life leading the school's brass ensemble and earning what seemed like millions of music scholarships, but accepted none. Music was an unhindered art, a form of self-expression for a true musician. Then again, his uncle was the one who'd strong armed him into law school, so he couldn't have accepted the scholarships even if he wanted to.

Seven years later, after a mind-numbingly boring first day at the Hyuga's Law Firm, he accidentally kicks open the saxophone case he hasn't thought about opening in years. The temptation would've killed him if he had, and Neji finds himself ghosting his fingers over the golden buttons again, and polishing the medium of his spirit.

When Neji places his lips over the mouthpiece, he's surprised that he still remembers every note and every smooth sound that echoes out of his saxophone. He closes his eyes, relishing in the nostalgia and the comfort he feels playing his instrument.

Halfway through Careless Whisper, a shy knock resonates on his door, which he would've missed if he wasn't busy reflecting on his younger years. He strides towards the door and calmly swings it open, even though on the inside he wants to burst with song and dance.

"May I help you?"

A brunette is standing in front of him, long hair soaking wet from tonight's onslaught of rain. She's shivering in her thin raincoat and sticky black jeans, and smiles as politely as possible without letting her teeth chatter even more rapidly.

"Hey, I'm Tenten," he raises an eyebrow at Tenten. She continues, wrapping her arms around her waist to maintain warmth, "I heard you playing, earlier. The saxophone. It's beautiful."

He nods, feeling a slight blush forming on his cheeks. "Thank you."

There's an awkward silence before she opens her mouth again. "My mother always said that if the eyes were the windows into one's soul, then music was the soul emanating from a person's heart. I feel that - felt that - when I heard you play before. It doesn't happen every day."

Neji's slightly taken aback by her words, because the last time someone had said those words was when he was seventeen and morbidly packing up his saxophone after his mother passed away. He doesn't know why he invites the shivering girl inside, and doesn't know why he feels like opening up his heart to her, but he does anyway. "My mother did too," he whispers quietly, after she's changed into the spare clothes that he's grown out of and drying her hair with a fluffy towel. "Before she passed away."

Judging by the understanding hug she gives him, she knows of the same sorrow - the same painful tugging at your heartstrings that threatens to pull the happiness from your body when you think of a lost loved one. He welcomes the embrace, even though it's from a stranger, because suddenly he doesn't care about the stern Hyuga gazes and the corporate industry, or the money that helps him live comfortably in his apartment.

Tented believes in music, understands it the same way he does.

They break apart, shyly avoiding each other's gazes. He's mildly apprehensive about the situation, even though he's talked himself up mentally earlier on. Who was this woman? What if she was dangerous? Why was she here?

She seems to realise the gravity of the situation too.

"So, do I need I file a search warrant on your life?" He jokingly asks her.

"No," she waves her hands around airily, "I'm actually surprised you haven't recognised me yet."

He looks at her closely, taking in the heart-shaped jawline and plump lips and sparkling amber irises. Nothing registers in his brain, except for the fact that she is extremely attractive and smells like pine wood.

If anything, the fact that he honestly does not recognise her brings another twinkle to her eyes. "I sing, professionally."

Ah.

Friday nights at the Grand Peyton. Occasional concerts in the Hokage Arena, and frequent compilations with some A-list singers. He doesn't know why it took him so long. "You're Soul Asylum. Tenten. Heavens. That's fitting," the corners of his lips quirk up in amusement.

She smiles back. "I know. My mother came up with it for me. It has a nice ring to it."

He sits back, letting his ponytail fall down his back. "So how do you know I won't try to harm you then?"

"You won't. Women's intuition," she shoots him a wink, before mirroring his actions and sitting back. "And, I need you." Seeing the confused expression on his face, she elaborates. "I've been looking for someone special for a long time now, someone who feels music the way I do."

Neji doesn't miss her pointed gaze. "And you think I'm the one." At her insistent nodding, he continues, "what if I was? What would that mean for the both of us later on?"

"It means," she starts fidgeting uncomfortably on his couch, "I get a musical accompaniment for my career to flourish. And you..."

Tenten breaks off her sentence when she realises how selfish she sounds.

Neji jumps up and walks over to the kitchen calmly. "I am a lawyer, for Hyuga Industries. My job is to uphold justice, not merrily play tunes for a living." He pours himself a glass of water and sits down at the breakfast bar to face her. The crackling fireplace is making her glow with a fire-y warmth; he tears his gaze away to look at the fire instead. "Saxophone stopped being a part of my life a long time ago - there will only be benefits for you, and you know that." He closes his grey eyes, inhaling deeply before repeating the same sentence his uncle said to him years prior. "There is no life in music."

"That's not true," she replies softly, "and you know that."

He nods imperceptibly. "Even so, I see no outcome for myself if I become your musical accompaniment - your tool, so to speak."

"True," he appreciates that she doesn't deny the truth in his words, and acknowledges that maybe she isn't as pure and innocent as he initially thought she was. After all, all rising stars need to be competitive to make it big like she is. "I'll tell you what, I'll be recording in town for a while, so swing by," she grabs her soaking wet purse an extracts a laminated business card from it, "my agent's number - I'll let him know to expect your call. Come over, bring your sax - show us what else you've got in your arsenal."

Neji shakes his head, but takes the card anyway and places it on the table. Looking outside, the rain has lightened considerably, so he opens the front door. "I won't be. Please see yourself out."

He watches her slender body slump in disappointment and gathers up her belongings before striding out into the cold.

"Wait." He patiently obeys her command; one second wouldn't do him any harm. "What's your name?"

She looks at him expectantly with her large eyes, and he concedes. "Neji."


	2. A Series of Unfortunate Events

**A series of unfortunate events.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing, except this plot.**

 **Pairing:** NejixTenten, with a smidgeon of Gaara, because we all love Gaara.

* * *

"You asswipe!"

Neji elegantly releases his hold on the intercom button, massages his forehead, then presses down again. "Send her in, Naruto."

His secretary opens the office door moments later and impatiently ushers in a tall woman wearing striped, rainbow pants and a simple black T-shirt. "Morning, sunshine. You look ridiculous, as usual. Who even wears suits these days?" Plopping herself onto his table, she closes his laptop lid and fixates a glare onto him.

"Tenten, you look lovely today. How may I help you?" He greets her sarcastically, while waving Naruto out of the room. The door shuts behind him.

"I thought you were going to take our deal seriously, Hyuga."

"Deal?" Neji replies innocently, "I was under the impression that you were forcing me into doing this."

She nods. "That is true, but I was also under the impression that we were _friends. Friends_ help each other out." Tenten eyes his bowl of mints before grabbing a few and popping them into her mouth.

"We are friends," he clarifies, "Which is why I refuse to be your 'fake boyfriend' when you already have one to show off to your mother. Besides, hasn't she known me since high school?"

"Yes. Well," she looks out the windows of his office and bites her bottom lip contemplatively, "that could work, if I still had a boyfriend."

He reopens his laptop lid, feigning disinterest. Ironically, running Konoha's biggest news corporation does not keep you in the loop about your friends' drama. Then again, he'd been absentminded and sadly ignorant with regards to Tenten's life _ever since_ she started dating Gaara. "Oh?"

"We broke up. He was too busy with Sabaku Corps, and I just realised there was more to life than dating a guy who was only fifty-percent there."

"I thought Temari was Sabaku Corps' leader?"

Tenten waves off his question. "No, no. She started her own business - didn't want to rely on her dad for the rest of her life."

"Hn, interesting." He opens a Word document before turning to look at Tenten again. Sighing, "I honestly don't see why you need me to go with you. You could just as easily take Ino, or even Sakura; the invitation only outlines 'plus ones', not dates."

"And you publish newspapers, but ANBU Magazine already takes up some of the shelving space." She fires back, "they already have dates."

He rubs his temples. "You don't need me, Tenten. You're successful in your own right; it's not like your mother will suffer in Hell if you go alone."

"She won't," Tenten replies agreeably, "but my main point is that you still made a promise to come with me. Date or no date, we're still friends, and Naruto told me you've barely stepped out of your office in months unless it was for work."

"Nonsense. How else would I have slept and ate?"

She smirks, walks over to his bookshelf and pulls out a book with distressed pages. The shelves slide open to reveal a single bed and a fridge stocked with food and water.

"Okay," he admits, "that does explain the spike in sales as of late."

Tenten rolls her eyes. "Let's go, loser."

* * *

It takes a trip down memory lane for him to find his apartment again - yes, he has been living in his office for the past two months. _Yes, Tenten, I genuinely have forgotten my way home_ \- and a lot of arguing on his part to find a suit that's more fundraiser-appropriate than it is work-appropriate, and he eventually finds himself clad in the black suit with white trimmings that Tenten bought for him earlier that same morning.

"You realise that you just wasted all of our time, right? Why didn't you just give me this suit from the beginning?" He grumpily fixes on the striped black and white tie that Tenten _also_ bought him, while smoothing down his hair into a low ponytail.

"Because," she shouts back from his bathroom, "I was hoping that you'd have at least one stylish suit in your closet, but clearly I was wrong. You owe me for this!" Tenten steps out with a pleased grin, and Neji clamps his jaw shut instead of retorting.

He's known this girl since they were pimply teenagers fighting over the last spaghetti bowl in the canteen, and then through the years of studying business (journalism, on his part) together at university, and he's only seen her dressed extravagantly a handful of times. Personally, Neji likes Tenten even when she's hugging her plush pillows in her old sweatpants and oversized jumpers, and even when seeing her sobbing over an ex breaks his heart into a million pieces, but - wow.

"You look nice," he forces out, and looks away. She swishes over to him in her long red skirts and kneels down to face him. Her hair is down, for the first time in years; it trails down her back and frames her face in a way that makes her look like an ethereal fairy.

Tenten smiles. "You don't look half bad yourself." She grabs a brush and repurposes his hair into a high pony tail, and he tries not to shiver when her hands run through his hair. "Better. You ready?"

Neji nods, trying to ignore the fact that _wow, he looks like a lot like Hanabi_ , before walking to his front door. "I'll drive."

"No," she politely declines his offer and steps across the threshold cheerfully, "I will."

Tenten drives like a maniac.

Neji grips the edges of his seat when she lowers her car hood and steps on the acceleration peddle immediately after the car starts. She zooms down the streets with her hair flying behind her in chocolate brown ribbons that reflect the sunlight and make her face shimmer brilliantly.

"I think you should slow down!" Neji yells at the top of his voice.

"What?" She shouts back, slamming down on her brakes and almost sending them flying forward. Thank you, seat belts. "What did you say?"

Neji sweeps the ponytail hair out of his face and glares at her. "Slow down." She grins impishly, and steps on the pedals as soon as the lights turn green. "Fuck's sake."

They arrive at the Hokage Ballroom in five minutes flat, approximately twenty minutes _faster_ than the estimated time, and he wants to hurl as soon as she pulls her vehicle into a parking spot.

"Open your eyes, Neji, we're here."

He breathes in, slowly prying his own eyes open and then exhales. "Next time, I drive."

"No thanks, you drive like an old man."

"I drive like a _human being_ , Tenten."

"Sure," she replies absentmindedly, pulling the hood over her car and brushing down her hair. "How do I look?"

"Normal," he leaps out of the front seat and holds out an arm without looking at her. Tenten takes it gracefully.

"Tenten." Neji feels Tenten freeze beside him, and looks up in concern.

"Gaara," she starts off shakily, and then composes herself, "You look well."

"I am, thank you for asking."

"She didn't." Tenten shoots Neji a quizzical look, and Gaara only then seems to notice Neji's presence.

"Hyuga Neji. I am pleased to finally meet you."

He sees Naruto talk to other men with an arm wrapped protectively around Hinata on a daily basis, and surmises that the action makes his cousin appear weak and feeble. So he leaves his arm at his side with Tenten's arms wrapped around it, and makes no motion to change it's position. Tenten can handle adversity; he'll only be there to offer help should she need it.

He tilts his head down in greeting. "Gaara no Sabaku. I've heard wonders about your company recently. Congratulations."

A ghost of a smile flickers across the redhead's face. "The most knowledgable man in Konoha, indeed. I predict we'll be doing plenty of business with each other in the future." Gaara hands him his business card. "Keep in touch." Neji thanks him, and only pockets the card in his blazer when Tenten gives his hand a reassuring pat.

Then, "Tenten, may I speak to you in private?" Gaara's gaze refocuses onto Tenten, who purses her lips and shrugs nonchalantly.

"If you must." She releases her hold on Neji's arm ("Wait for me inside.") which he notes suddenly feels considerably less restricted, and crosses her arms over her chest. "We will speak here." Tenten enunciates every word pointedly before Neji nods and opens the doors leading into the Ballroom.

It's predictably grand inside, with gilded trimmings and clean white tablecloths immaculately spread onto the tables. Neji takes little notice of it, but charges directly towards Naruto, who has his arm wrapped around Hinata (again).

"How long do I have to be here for?"

"Three hours." The blonde man gives him a sour look. "You're supposed to be the 'most knowledgeable man in all of Konoha'! Why are you so bad at knowing what's going on in your life?"

Neji ignores him in favour of Tenten's entrance. Her cheeks aren't tear-stained and her eyelids are far from red and puffy, so he momentarily lets out a sigh of relief, and then stops in his tracks when her mother greets her.

Naruto and Hinata follow his line of sight. "You should go over there, Neji."

He grabs a glass of champagne from the passing tray before gulping down half it's contents. "I should," and downs the rest.

"May I take that for you, sir?"

"Thank you."

Mrs Kobayashi is standing in front of him within seconds. "Neji, darling, it's been so long!"

Oh _no_.

He gulps. "It has. How have you been?"

"Well, sweetheart! Now," she grabs a glass of wine from another passing tray and downs it in one go. He inwardly hopes that she'll navigate around the Topic of him and Tenten's absolutely _fake relationship_ so that he'll have enough time to duck away should he need to. Kami, it's been so long since he went outside. "Enough about me. How long have you been dating Tenten?"

Straight to the point it is, then.

Neji chances a look at the very same woman, who's standing behind her mother and frantically waving about two fingers while shooting daggers at him with her eyes. "Two months," he replies easily. Both women grin at him.

"Marvellous. Now," she returns her glass back to the tray, "How long are you two planning on faking this for?"

"What?" Tenten gawks at her mother. "What are you talking about, Mama?" She loops her arm around Neji's for the second time that night; he feels a slight blush rising in his cheeks. Her mother smirks. Just smirks, in a way that lets them both know that _she can't be deceived by two amateurs_.

It takes a moment for Neji to remember that Tenten's mother is the Emperor Palpatine of all business mogul wives, in the sense that she dominates upper-end Konoha with an iron fist. Neji's never doubted that when someone gets on the Kobayashi matriarch's bad side, she'll press a red button underneath her desk labelled 'Destroy', pinpoint their exact location and annex their home to Kobayashi Industries. Probably.

Then, there are those times when Neji does think she's as evil as Palpatine himself, like when she made him do his _homework_ at Tenten's house on _Uno_ night (as if he didn't get enough _home_ homework from Hiashi), and when Tenten came to school with tubs of her infamous curry after he'd brought over his then-girlfriend Kin for lunch. Neji painfully realises and remembers how difficult it is to fool Tenten's mother.

Sensing that his resolve is rapidly dissolving, Tenten catches his elbow before he falls to the ground and prostrates himself in front of her mother to beg for mercy.

It's not that he's mentally incapable of overcoming adversity - he runs the biggest newspaper corporation in the Land of Fire, for Kami's sake. It's just that he would rather face his Uncle Hiashi after, say, throwing a day-long sex party at the Hyuga mansion, and deal with the punishment, and then some. _He would honestly rather that_ than go up against Tenten's mother, even when she's only mildly sceptical.

"Mama," she speaks up, "Please."

"Tenten. If you didn't want to tell me who your boyfriend was, then you needn't lie. I have all the time in the world to meet Gaara no Sabaku - don't you worry."

"Yes?"

Neji pulls at his collar nervously, already sensing an imminent panic attack coming along. Why, Gaara, why.

"You must be Gaara," Mrs Kobayashi gushes, "I am pleased to finally meet the man who's made my Tenten so happy."

"Mama."

"Well-" Gaara starts off, beginning to look awkward and mildly unnerved by her gaze. Neji almost feels sympathetic for the other man, having been on the receiving end of her scrutiny for years beforehand, but stops because this _is_ the man who's dated his long-time crush. Not that anyone ever knew, save for Hinata. "It's just that-"

He swips another glass of red wine from a passing tray and gulps down half the goblet. "If I may interject," Neji begins loudly to catch their attention, "I suggest taking this conversation to a separate room, where none of my men will be circulating around us for a front-cover story on The Scandals of Konoha."

The Kobayashi women simultaneously draw in deep breaths. "So be it."

* * *

"I can't believe this! Why would you lie to me about something like this, Tenten?"

"Because I knew you would react like this!"

Neji sits back on a side bench with Gaara; they both watch the scene unfold uneasily. Honestly, he feels like he should be the one coming to Tenten's defence, but his justification is that they're both strong, independent women who would rather commit seppuku than allow someone as clueless as him to solve their own internal problems, and also that he's terribly ill-equipped to handle drama after an extended period of absence from 'having a life', as Naruto so aptly puts it.

"For the most knowledgeable man in all of Konoha, you seem to be strangely...absent-minded." He hears Gaara initiate a conversation tactfully, and the words flow out of his other ear before swerving back in again like a boomerang on speed. _Absent-minded?_ Gaara leans closer to Neji, unaware of the inner turmoil that Neji is experiencing.

"Why do people keep telling me that?" Neji responds, genuinely curious.

Gaara chuckles just as Tenten and her mother stop arguing and hug each other tenderly before sitting down on a table. They both let out a sigh of relief. "I love her," his green eyes are fixated on Tenten, "Deeply."

The Hyuga man stiffens, for the hundredth time that night. He does _not_ like where this conversation is heading. Aren't they already broken up? Split up? Dined and dashed?

He seems to be a man of _extremely_ few words, fewer than Sasuke Uchiha, his business partner, because that's all he says for a long time.

Neji muses that if someone is more silent and brooding than the infamous Uchiha grump himself, he really should sort out the problems on his plate. _You're the one who had a separate living space built into the wall behind your bookshelf, loser._ He recalls the condescending words that Naruto reiterated to him a few nights before, and realises that Naruto is getting away with far too much for an employee. Goodness, how long has he been out of it?

Coming back to the present, Neji realises that Gaara is _still_ looking at Tenten with _those eyes_ and clears his throat. "Then why break up with her?"

"She dumped me." He said flatly. Silence.

"Oh."

"For _you_."

More silence.

" _Oh._ "

Gaara rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "At least I can live with the knowledge that you'll never break her heart. Don't give me that look; I know you love her, too." Red hair starts to walk away from Neji, while Neji tries to take in this new information. He...loves Tenten? How does he not know this? Gaara laughs when he looks back and glances at Neji. "Keep in touch, Hyuga."

* * *

Neji drives Tenten home in Tenten's car on the way back from the Fundraiser, because he honestly cannot handle another figurative heart attack for today. His first outing into the Real World in months proved almost life-threatening, from the stylish white outfit to Tenten's lawless driving, then to Tenten and Tenten's mother's arguments, and Gaara's confession. The rest of the night had passed by like a blur after they finished arguing, and Neji only remembers distinct segments of it, most of which comprise of Gaara sending him knowing looks.

He grips the steering wheel harder than usual, clenches his teeth, then pulls out his hair-tie recklessly. Screw all of this. Screw all of his emotional sensitivity. Screw it all. He stomps on the acceleration the moment the traffic lights turn green and races down the road at the maximum speed limit. Of _course_ , he's not as refined as Tenten is when it comes to this, and eventually a police car's sirens start wailing from behind them. Neji ignores it, keeps the acceleration going until Tenten, with her whoops of delight and encouragement, starts to look frightened. He's tempted to keep going, for the fun of it, and because _wow_ , he sees why people drive at light-speed now, and almost does until the engine starts to falter and the 'Low Fuel' light flashes, red and angry. Cursing, he pulls up to the curb and rolls down the window, refusing to look at Tenten.

"Yes, officer?"

"What the hell- Hyuga?"

It's Sasuke, for some odd reason.

"Oh, thank god. You're on your family shift tonight," Neji looks up at his friend, who's decked out in police uniform with a taser at his side and a frown marring his features. "I'll be going now."

"No, I'm still taking you into the station." Sasuke spots Tenten inside the car, and waves. "Hello, Tenten. Care to tell me what the hell happened to Neji _stick-up-my-ass_ Hyuga, to make him drive _three times over the speed limit and almost crash into several cars_?"

She shrugs, masking the concerned look she'd been throwing at Neji beforehand. "Guinness World Record?"

The Uchiha slides a hand down his face in frustration. "I'm taking you two in."

They arrive at the Uchiha Police Department, after a tense ride where Sasuke controlled the wheel of Tenten's vehicle while Neji sat cooped up in the police car's back cabin, just because Sasuke felt like punishing him for leading him on a wild goose chase around the city. Neji's pulled out by none other than his friend moments later, and is led into the Department with his hands cuffed behind his back. Sitting on a cold chair beside Tenten, he patiently waits for Sasuke's jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, Tenten leans forward to face him. "Neji," she searches his gaze with her own chocolate one, "what's wrong?" He turns his head away from Tenten. He doesn't hate her or despise her for _potentially_ being in _love_ with him, but rather, doesn't know how he _should_ react to that news. How does one even go about telling their best friend that they're in love with them? "That was some reckless driving, Neji. Penny for your thoughts?" She prods him gently.

Thankfully, Sasuke returns looking grumpier than usual. "I was going to say," handing them both a mug of hot black tea, he sits down in front of them, "that the press would be having a field day tomorrow, but then I realised that you _are_ the press. Lucky you."

"Lucky me," he allows himself to let out a thin smile. Media scrutiny is trivial; it's Mrs Kobayashi that he's more anxious to hear from. Oh, and Uncle Hiashi too - maybe.

"Well, Tenten, your car will be suspended for eighteen months. I personally know that this isn't the first time that your car's been speeding around. Sakura raves about it every night. And Neji, your record has been relatively clean for now, so I'm hoping that...whatever this thing is...is a one-time thing." He hands Neji a slip of paper, with a six-hundred-dollar fine on its front.

"Noted," Tenten nods in faux-enthusiasm.

"Good," Sasuke gives them a _knowing_ , approving glance that Neji tries to interpret to no avail. "Now, get the fuck out."

They scramble out of the station, de-handcuffed, and face a single, harrowing fact: no car to go home. Neji shrugs, remembering that his office building is only a half-hour walk away. Go figure, it actually comes in handy.

"Where are you off to?"

Tenten runs after him, heels clicking loudly against the cement pavement. He inwardly cringes and keeps walking. "Neji, what the- OW!"

Neji swivels back just in time to see her fall to the ground in a heap. She's clutching her forehead, as though in agonising pain, and then he sees the metal lamppost not too far away from her. "Tenten!" He runs over and kneels down to check her for any other signs of damage. Seeing none, except for where her hand is clutching her head, he gently pries it away from her face.

There's a large, throbbing bump smack-bang in the middle of her forehead, which is starting to bleed through an incision in the middle. Neji anxiously flips back to the first-aid courses he took as a teenager, and then straightens out his face.

"Hey," he starts speaking to her in a gentle tone, "Tenten, look at my eyes." She looks up slowly, blinking away the tears pooling at her lids.

"They're pretty," she replies. He feels his heart leap.

"That is true," he nods in agreement, before helping her to her feet. "Let's take a nice walk down the neighbourhood." Neji makes sure to draw her attention away from the bump on her head by maintaining his eye contact and making sure she can still see the number of fingers he's holding up every now and then. The local hospital is a little closer to them, which he subconsciously acknowledges is awfully convenient. Then again, crime and hospitality do tend to go hand in hand, especially in those crime dramas Hanabi always watches when he visits the Mansion.

"Yay! I like walking!"

"Good, good! I like walking, too!"

Eventually, he manages to hold out the hospital's glass door for Tenten and nearly collapses when the emergency staff widen their eyes and stride over to Tenten briskly. "We'll take her," they nod at Neji, "take a seat, and drink some of the hot chocolate."

A little boy walks past them with his mother. "Look, Mamma, that lady has a big lump on her head!"

The effect is instantaneous. Tenten automatically touches the lump, directly in the middle where it's bleeding, and lets out a horrific curse. "HOLY GIRAFFE-SHIT. NEJI, WHAT THE HELL IS ON MY HEAD?" She immediately throws a wild look at Neji, who holds up his hands in a placating gesture. "I swear, if you-" The emergency ward staff heave her away, calling for reinforcements while Tenten continues to swear like a sailor. "NEJI!"

* * *

"She's resting, sir." A nurse, wiping the sweat off her forehead with her hand and looking more tired that she did when they first arrived, informs him of Tenten's state precisely one hour, forty-seven minutes and five seconds later. He looks up from his watch and slurps down the rest of his coffee. "You can visit Miss Kobayashi now."

"Thank you." Neji sets off to her ward at once.

She's lying on a cot, fast asleep, with her head bandaged expertly. Her snoring permeates throughout the entire room thunderously, and a pool of drool is becoming increasingly bigger by the second. He's forgotten how blaringly audible she could be when in a deep sleep, and smiles nostalgically. Settling himself into the chair next to her bed, he succumbs to his urge to straighten her bandage, refills her water jug and cup, also spreads her blankets so that each corner touches the corner of the mattress, and requests for two more pillows to sandwich her the way he knows she likes sleeping. Neji feels like a creep for catering so much to her, even when she's unconscious and baggy-eyed from the day's events.

Then, it hits him, like a tonne of bricks.

Feeling like a corny teen-romance figure, and, knowing that Tenten will probably remember none of this in the morning, he leans forward.

Neji feels ridiculous. What is he planning on achieving with this? Has he gone insane? Kissing her won't solve anything. He shakes his head, smiling ruefully. Neji starts to move back to his seat when a hand shoots out of the blankets and pulls him downwards. He bites back a scream when he realises that it's Tenten.

Their lips are inches apart now, and all of a sudden Neji is acutely aware of how close their lips are to each other, even in the dim light of the room.

"Uh, Tenten?"

"You're an idiot."

He doesn't know whether he should lean in closer or not, so remains suspended in mid-air. He feels a crick start to wriggle its way into his neck but remains perfectly still, breathing heavily. "I-"

Tenten leaves no room for him to talk, because the next second she's pulling him down and pressing their lips together. Neji breathes into it, relishing in the feeling of her lips finally touching his with careless abandon, her hands weaving into his long hair while sending shivers down his spine. They pull apart after he accidentally bumps his forehead into Tenten's; she hisses.

"I have a bloody bump the size of a tennis ball on my head, you dick-wad."

"Concussion?" He smiles down at her while stroking her cheek tenderly. For the first time in months, it finally reaches his eyes.

"That's what they told me," she grunts, playfully winking up at him. His lips descend again, this time nudging at hers lightly.

"Then, don't forget this."

"Never."

* * *

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **~misspandalily**


	3. Hogwarts School of I Hate Neji Hyuga

**AU: Hogwarts, because I'm feeling extra spirited about The Cursed Child.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything, and that includes Naruto and Harry Potter (I wouldn't want to own Harry Potter anyway, JK Rowling should never sell it to anyone. Bless you, JK Rowling.)**

 **Pairings:** NejiTen, if you really milk it here.

* * *

There were only a handful of times when Tenten felt mortified beyond relief. The first was her first time at a swimming pool - she'd ran in naked, because it looked like Bath Time with Friends. The second was when she tripped over her own shoelaces in front of the entire school during an assembly, and dacked the Principal on her way down.

Accidentally setting her pet owl Ryu loose in the Hogwarts Express and it's subsequent derailing of the Trolley Lady's cart, however, was a different story.

She cringed, dumped her luggage onto the ground, and retrieved Ryu from the wreckage in front of her. Smoothing down his light-brown feathers, Tenten tucked him into his cage, which was lying askew on the floor.

Only then did she register the Trolley Lady's furious glare, and the stifled laughter emanating from the onlookers. _Ickle Firsties_ , they muttered.

Ryu hooted.

"Watch where you're walking, loser!"

"Sorry!" Tenten kept her head down, mortified, while helping the Trolley Lady recover her wares. "I'm so sorry."

The lady smiled tightly, eyes softening slightly when she realised how many people were whispering about them in the compartments. "It's quite alright, dear," she walked off in a huff, and Tenten retrieved her trunk from the ground.

She honestly had no clue why they needed to haul their things onto the actual train; the staff could have easily magic-ed up a huge luggage compartment for them.

Frowning, Tenten hurried past the crowds of people poking fun at her, and almost cried in relief when she arrived at an empty one a few minutes later. Well, mostly empty.

Sitting inside were two children who appeared to be her age, their eyes were unnaturally light - almost white - and their dark, black hair cascaded down their backs. She perked up. They looked scary, sure, but they were all girls, right? Girls stuck together until the end, right?

Sliding open the compartment door gleefully, she waddled inside with her trunk and owl. "Hello! I'm Tenten!" She swung her trunk onto the sturdy shelf overhead, and set Ryu down beside it.

Tenten sat down next to the girl in boy's clothes, immediately trying to spark a conversation with her. "So, how are you?"

The other girl spoke up, so quietly that Tenten had to lean in to her to hear. "Why are you here?"

Okay, not what she was aiming for.

"There weren't any other seats," she replied earnestly, "and there's plenty of space in here. I don't see why I can't?" She ended with a rising pitch, because the girl she was siting next to turned to glare at her.

"You're intruding on our space." Her tone was strangely deep for an eleven year old girl; was she even eleven?

Tenten scowled, regardless. "It isn't your space. This is a public space, and the last thing I'll do is move aside for you self-entitled toshpots!"

She huffed, moving to the other end of the compartment - as far away from the creepy duo as possible - and pulled her Standard Book of Spells out of the trunk. Tenten didn't want to converse with two girls anymore; in fact, she would be better off having no friends than friends who trampled over other people.

The Hogwarts Express did not chug past Hogwarts itself until a few hours later. But when it did, Tenten couldn't help but stare out of the window, marvelling at the enormity of the castle and it's glittery reflection on the Lake's surface. It was beautiful.

The train conductor robotically issued a notice for 'first years to leave their baggage in the train for collection', which she sighed in relief at. Although Hogwarts looked splendid, the last thing she wanted to do was haul her trunk and owl up what were undoubtedly several flights of stairs. She threw her book back into the trunk, then left the compartment to change into her robes in the female bathroom, which was empty save for a few, taller girls who were applying make up in the mirror.

Locking the door of a cubicle behind her, she removed her Muggle clothes and changed into the smooth, cleanly-pressed ones her den-mother had prepared beforehand. The robes were all black, and had no House badge like the ones she'd seen on others around the train.

Tenten suddenly felt her stomach lurch. She'd only been able to find a few, minute details about the Sorting Ceremony in Hogwarts: A History over the summer holidays. Would she need to undergo an elaborate exam tonight? She didn't want to; she barely even knew anything about magic!

And, if she even passed, which house would she be sorted into? Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin? _Slytherin_ , now there was a house she would avoid until her dying breath. Tenten didn't think she was a bad witch - the worst thing she'd ever done so far was run into the pool naked! She was eight years old at that time! Surely, they wouldn't judge her too harshly. Would they?

A sharp knocking at her cubicle brought her back to the present, and she pulled a billowing, black robe over herself. Unlocking the door, she became face to face with a girl with shocking, pink hair and vibrant, emerald eyes.

Tenten stepped out, smiling shyly. "Sorry!"

The other girl grinned, "It's alright."

She was also holding a pile of colourless robes in her arms, and Tenten noted the girl could very well be her new friend, if she was also a first year.

Having waited for the older girls to finish their makeup, Tenten strode towards the wide mirrors and released her hair from her twin buns. It fell down, stopping mid-back, and she brushed it down hurriedly. Mother had told her to make as good an impression as possible on Hogwarts, but seeing how she'd already gained a reputation for being infernally clumsy, there was little else she could do other than appear presentable - at the very least.

Tenten braided her hair back expertly, making sure not to leave a single strand out of place, then found herself in a predicament. She didn't want release the braid, or everything would loosen and she'd have to restart - there wasn't enough time left for that!

Luckily, at that moment, the bold girl walked out of the cubicle in her uniform - first year, yes! - and washed her hands in the sink beside hers. They smiled at each other shyly.

"Need help?"

Tenten thanked the heavens for this girl's existence. "Yep!" She popped her lips at the 'p', "Could you tie my hair at the end, please?"

She motioned to the blue hair ties sitting on the ledge, which the girl took and tied off her hair with. "So, what's your name?"

"Tenten," she replied chirpily, pleased with their progress, "yours?"

"Sakura," Sakura grinned, which Tenten returned, and the train suddenly lurched. They looked at each other, excitement coursing through their veins. Upon exiting the bathroom, Tenten and Sakura made their way down the same corridor to their compartments. "Aren't you the girl who's sitting with the Hyugas?"

"The who?" She responded dumbly.

"The Hyuga family? Neji and Hinata?" Seeing the lack of recognition in Tenten's eyes, Sakura began to look exasperated. "The boy and girl with white eyes?"

"T _hem?_ " Tenten gasped, Sakura nodded, her head bobbing up and down several times. "What's so important about the Hyuga family?"

The compartment door in front of them slammed open. " _W_ _hat's_ so _important_ about the _Hyuga family?_ " A blonde girl screeched at no one in particular. Sakura looked at her apologetically.

"This is Ino, a friend of mine. Ino, this is Tenten."

Ino threw a quick smile at the brunette before they were all suddenly ushered out of the train carriage. All three of them merrily linked arms with each other, though that ended in roughly two seconds flat when they all needed to walk in single-file.

A gargantuan man wearing a thick, red coat greeted them on the platform, shouting "First years!" over and over again until Tenten, Sakura and Ino eventually joined the end of the cue.

The Hyugas, as Tenten now knew them as, were at the very front and stood before the large man like marble statues. She decided to ignore those two girls for the rest of her schooling life, if that were even possible. If it wasn't, she would make sure that it would happen.

The large man, who introduced himself as Jiraiya, turned his back on them after making sure all the first years were present, and led them all to a separate walkway, where they were greeted by the shimmering, black lake she'd seen through the window earlier.

Jiraiya separated them into groups of three - Tenten was happy that she was with Ino and Sakura - and escorted them into little wooden boats, each with a lantern hanging from a decorative hook at the front.

He instructed them to hold on tight to the sides, and to keep their feet planted firmly inside the deck of the boats, "or else the giant squid'll eat you all". Tenten wasn't sure if he was bluffing or not, but nothing about his expression said otherwise. Giant squids didn't exist, did they?

Ino shrugged at the question. Sakura only grinned.

The boats seemed to be moving farther and farther away from Hogwarts, as they were all entering a dark tunnel that obscured the castle from their line of sight. Jiraiya made a fruitless effort to calm down the chatter arising because of this, and continued to lead the way in his own boat, no doubt enchanted to support his body weight.

It was during this brief period of darkness that Tenten started to learn more about her new friends. Sakura was a pureblood from the Haruno family, who were known throughout the wizarding world for their generosity and high levels of intelligence, rather than their semi-impoverished state. Tenten liked that Sakura didn't place more emphasis on money as her self-worth; in her opinion, there was more to life than coined commodities.

Ino was a half-blood, and was Sakura's childhood friend. According to her, they lived across the valley from each other, and regularly played in the surrounding flower fields, which were constantly in full bloom as her family ran a magical florist.

"What about you?" They asked, after a few more minutes inside the tunnel. Tenten could see a light peeking out from the end.

"Muggle-born," she replied, proudly, "I live in Mayweather's Home."

Their eyes widened marginally, which Tenten predicted. Florence Mayweather's Home was a busy orphanage in London Town; no doubt, they were trying to be polite by nodding their heads as though she were telling them the weather.

Tenten was glad that they didn't pursue the topic any further, not because it was sensitive - no, she'd made peace with that a long time ago, having been raised in an orphanage her entire life - but because the boats had finally reached the end of the tunnel.

Hogwarts looked even more magnificent up close, and Tenten found herself staring, wide-eyed, at it's majesty. If the stone castle could speak to them now, Tenten was positive that she was saying, "Welcome."

"Wo-ow," they sighed in unison.

"It's so big," another blonde boy in the adjacent boat was the last to marvel at Hogwarts' size, as they pulled into a harbour a few seconds later. A tall, blonde woman in dark green robes that billowed at her wide hips strode towards them, heeled shoes clacking against the ground.

She looked imposing, standing before them while they were all still sitting in their boats, dumbfounded, and Tenten had the impression that she was not someone to trifle with.

The woman waited for the last of them to clamour out of their boat before speaking, "Welcome, boys and girls, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." She let out what Tenten supposed was a rare smile, "You may refer to me as Professor Senju, and nothing else." The blonde from earlier huffed indignantly, earning him a stern glare. "The start of term banquet will begin shortly, however - I beseech you to remain patient until then." Turning around briskly, "Follow me."

They trailed after her, feet slamming down on what seemed like hundreds of flights of stairs until they reached a large corridor with fire-lit lamps lining it's walls. Tenten could hear the muted murmur of hundreds of people talking, behind a particularly large door beside them. Professor Senju crammed them all into a small room across from the large door, and crossed her arms over her large chest.

"Now, when we enter the Great Hall for dinner, you will all be sorted into one of the four houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Each house has its own noble qualities, and each house has produced its own fair share of remarkable witches and wizards." The excitement in the small, cramped room was palpable. Tenten noted the way Professor Senju's eyes were scrutinisingly scanning each student, as though she was already Sorting them herself.

"Regardless of where you are placed, the Sorting is a very important ceremony because during your time here at Hogwarts, your house will be like your family. You will eat with your house, attend class with your house, sleep in the same dormitories, and spend your free time in your house common room. If you perform any triumphs, your house will be awarded points. However, if you breach the school rules, your house will have points deducted accordingly. The house with the highest number of points at the end of the school year will be awarded the House Cup - great honour, I hope every one of you will be a credit to your house." She ended on a high note, smiling down on them gently after the onslaught of information.

After a moment of silence, "The Ceremony will begin in a few minutes. I suggest you all neaten yourselves up before we walk in." Her eyes, glistening, briefly fixated themselves on a spiky-haired boy's disgruntled robes in distaste. She walked towards the door and pulled it open, leading them out into the corridor yet again. They separated themselves into groups of two before lining up behind her.

The doors suddenly opened, unassisted, and Tenten was attacked by the thunderous applause that followed them as they walked past long, brown tables with golden platters and cutlery lying on them.

She tilted her head up, staring at the ceiling in amazement. If one could call it a ceiling, that was: there was an inky, black sky at the top, dotted here and there with twinkling stars.

"It's enchanted to look like the sky outside," she heard Sakura whisper beside her. Ino giggled.

When they finally reached the front of the Hall, Tenten saw a long table stretched out across it's width. Jiraiya, and the people she assumed were the other staff members of Hogwarts, were sitting behind the table. They all smiled pleasantly at the fresh faces looking at them in awe. It was then that she noticed the sheer number of ghosts floating about in mid air when she looked over her shoulder. She didn't know if they were supposed to be there, but decided to ignore their presence for now; if no one was telling them to go away, then they were probably there for a reason.

A wizened old man reclining in the tallest, most ornate chair, tapped his drinking glass with a small, golden teaspoon. "Welcome, boys and girls, to another year at Hogwarts. I have a few announcements to make: as per our caretaker, Mr. Kabuto's, request, students are not to run in corridors, and neither are they to send any more toilet seats into the air, or any other offence to that effect." Tenten thought that this was an odd announcement to make, and saw the old man's eyes flicker towards the far side of the room.

"Furthermore, the Forbidden Forest is as out of bounds as always, though I must impress upon you the severe danger you will be subjected to should you venture into it." He smiled pleasantly. She was unsure of why the school would make this Forbidden Forest so accessible to students, if it was reputed to be that dangerous to them, but shrugged it off. It seemed unlikely that Tenten would ever find the energy to venture into the forest, especially not when there were many other places to explore _inside_ of Hogwarts. "This all being said, I wish you all the best of luck this year."

He sat back down, revelling in the heart applause that followed his speech. A grubby, black hat started to sing almost at once, frightening some of the first year students out of their skins. None of them had even noticed the hat on the stool in front of them, save for the Hyuga girls up front, who seemed to be severely unimpressed by it. Even so, Tenten highly doubted that they were expecting it to burst into a song about Hogwarts.

Tenten danced along to it, which was honestly more akin to swaying side to side with Ino and Sakura flanking her sides than dancing. When the song ended, another applause erupted in the Great Hall. Professor Senju caught their attention again when she picked up the hat and held out a lengthy scroll in her other hand.

The Hall went eerily quiet. "The Sorting Ceremony will now commence." Oh no, Tenten thought. She still wasn't prepared! Was that hat going to ask her hard questions about magic? She'd only read the Charms textbook so far! This couldn't be happening! "When I call your name," she began, "you will sit upon this stool, and The Sorting Hat will sort you into your houses."

Tenten smiled weakly, still uncertain about what the hat would do, but had no time to continue nervously appraising her own anxiety.

"Tenten." The Professor called out the first name on her scroll, golden eyes scanning the crowd for her presence. Sakura elbowed her in the ribs, prompting Tenten to robotically walk up to the wooden stool. She sat down, and felt the Hat's worn fabric envelope her vision.

 _Curious_ , a small voice whispered into her ear as soon as the drone of voices in the Hall died out, _how very curious._

 _What's curious?_ She asked, hesitantly. The Hat didn't seem to be gruelling her for magical theory, at the very least, so she felt somewhat relieved. _Who are you?_

 _The Hat_ , it replied bluntly. It was the most obvious answer, after all.

Tenten inwardly apologised.

It ignored her apology in favour of whispering to itself. _Definitely promising. Brave, yes, and driven. No doubt an intelligent one, perhaps a Ravenclaw?_

She felt her heartbeat spike at the word. There was a definite choice for her! She belonged to a house!

The Hat seemed to pick up on her excitement. _No, no, I see something bigger for you. It'll have to be_ "GRYFFIDOR!"

The Hat was promptly removed from her head, and she felt all the tension from the morning until this moment ebb away. The applause was deafening; she leapt off the stool exuberantly before plonking herself down next to a tall girl with spiky brown hair.

The girl shook Tenten's hand happily, "I'm Temari, Gryffindor prefect. Congratulations on being the first of Gryffindor of the cohort!" They grinned at each other, even though Tenten had no idea what a prefect was or what it's implications were.

She watched the next few students being Sorted into their houses, sympathising with the terrified looks on their faces. There wasn't another Gryffindor until 'Uzumaki, Naruto', the boisterous blonde, sped up towards the Hat and over to the Gryffindor table within the span of a few seconds.

Ino and Sakura were the next two to be called out; Tenten didn't realise she was gripping the edges of the seat until a wooden splinter dug into one of her fingers. She watched Sakura run over to the Ravenclaw table, crestfallen, but perked up when Ino flamboyantly strutted over to sit down beside her. They grinned at each other.

Professor Senju called out Hyuga, Neji, and the entire Hall froze. Tenten felt infernally confused.

What was the big deal?

Seeing how Ino was also engrossed in watching the Hat silently sort Neji, she gently tapped her on the shoulder. "Why is she so hyped up?"

Ino rolled her eyes. " _He_ is Hyuga Neji! Hyuga family extraordinaire! Prodigal son of the Minister for Magic? Is this ringing any bells?" Tenten shook her head but remained silent, even when he was sorted straight into Slytherin moments later (to the Slytherin table's delight, she suspected, and he was the first of the cohort to join them). He certainly seemed to fit the Slytherin caricature. A harrowing thought hit her. Prodigal SON? Neji was a BOY?

The shock most have registered on her features, though it was heavily mistaken for extreme surprise. The other first years surrounding her patted her back, ruefully shaking their heads and scorning Hyuga Neji's arrogance.

"Hyuga, Hinata."

"HUFFLEPUFF!" This snapped Tenten back into attention. How was it that the two Hyugas were sorted into such different houses? Weren't Hufflepuffs meant to be kind? Tenten hadn't seen any of that kindness on the train.

She watched the dark-haired girl timidly walk over to the Hufflepuff table, then strengthened her resolve to the ignore them - Neji more so than anyone.

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 **Hope you've enjoyed this so far, please review!**

 **-misspandalily**


	4. Origin Part A - Diagon Alley Discoveries

**AU: Hogwarts, again. This is the Part 0 (Part 0 will have several sub-parts, for convenience's sake) of the previous chapter - mainly an origins-type chapter. Clearly, I am an absolute Potterhead.**

 **Pairings:** none yet

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 **Part A. Diagon Alley Discoveries**

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Stumbling into a strange place called Diagon Alley and accidentally fainting at the sight of it was the last item on Tenten's bucket list. She had awoken, possibly hours afterwards, on a small bed in the middle of a quaint room with strange decorations inside of it. She couldn't tell what the time was either, because the only clock there had seven hands that ticked erratically from behind it's glass pane, and when she looked closely enough, the exquisite paintings on the walls seemed to _move_ and _inquire_ about her 'well being.'

Tenten wasn't sure if that word applied to her anymore. She'd only meant to take a quick peek at the little building in between the record store and the bookshop while on a stroll with her Orphanage caretakers down Charing Cross Road. It was hardly unnoticeable, and stood out to her immediately, but appeared to be almost invisible to the people walking past her. Perhaps it was just one of those Avoid At All Costs buildings that the staff members always warned her about, but she'd also seen a few, strangely-dressed toddlers bounce through the doors with their mother. Tenten couldn't help herself at that time, and sneaked in discretely.

By sight, it looked like a dinghy pub that served a multitude of _extremely eccentric people_ who chuckled merrily at odd jokes like 'Muggles' and 'Hufflepuffs'. Refraining from staring wide-eyed at her surroundings, she caught sight of the previous family and hurried after them as they walked straight out of the other door.

They were all greeted by a brick wall, and Tenten felt mildly disappointed, given all the extravagant sights she'd just seen in the previous room. It was a dead end.

"Going to Diagon Alley too, sweetheart? Where are your parents?" The blonde woman smiled sweetly at Tenten, before taking out a wooden stick. Tenten had no idea why she did that; a wooden stick was just a stick, no matter how polished and ornate it appeared.

She played along, anyway, and nodded. "Yes, they told me to meet them there."

"Wonderful! I'll open up the passageway for you." With a few, select tapping motions on the walls, Tenten was suddenly bombarded by an onslaught of _extraordinary_ sights and had promptly fainted.

"Are you quite alright, dear?" The painting of people eating roast beef together shouted loudly. She stared again, and pinched herself. Not a dream.

The door slammed open moments later. A portly man wearing an outdated top hat waddled into her room while fiddling with the hat's brim nervously. "Hello, dear."

Tenten stared at him. "Hello."

He smiled at her cautiously. "Do you know where you are?"

She thought back. "Diagon Alley?"

"Correct," he beamed, "and, if I may I ask, how did you enter?"

She glanced at the stranger uncertainly, suddenly aware of the fact that this man was in actuality a Stranger, and she'd been taught not to trust strangers.

Tenten leaned back into the pillow behind her while clutching the ever-present golden necklace that had been hanging around her neck since she'd been admitted into Winona Mayweather's Orphanage as an infant. Attached to the chain was an old-fashioned key with a 'G-569' code carved into it's head. It always gave her a sense of comfort whenever she touched it, and at the moment Tenten's gripping on it was so tight that her blood was starting to drain away from her knuckles.

Truth be told, the young girl was frightened. Up until today, everything had been perfectly ordinary for Tenten, with her immaculate school attendance rates and the prized coin collection that dated back to 1967. The staff liked to tease her for having an old lady's hobby, but Tenten had always enjoyed collecting money.

Today, she had allowed her curiosity to get the better of her, and wandered into an unknown place with no Adults to supervise her and currently, Tenten felt like curling up into a ball and crying. She wanted to go home to where people knew her, and where she could live in peace without frightening - alright, frankly, very friendly - objects talking to her.

The man sitting down across from her caught sight of the necklace in her hand. He ceased his questioning immediately, and started muttering to himself while pulling out a roll of old, yellowing paper and quill and scribbling down a message. Words like 'impossible' and 'muggle' were audible, but Tenten was too far away from him to hear his words properly. If anything, she was more confused about his choice of stationary. After a while, he stepped out of the room and returned, empty-handed, sitting himself back down again.

"Excuse me," she managed to find her voice, "what's happening?"

He stood up, looking flustered. "Nothing to worry about, my dear. It seems that there will be a change in plans."

"What plans?" Tenten asked frantically. "What were you going to do to me?"

"Nothing terrible." A young woman carrying a pile of papers strode into the room with a small pig trotting along at her side. "Ah, Shizune. Thank you for coming here on such short notice. Have you brought the uh-necessary items?"

The brunette woman named Shizune nodded briskly, sending an exasperated look to the air. Tenten would have giggled had she not still been terrified out of her wits. The portly man hurried outside, as though her mere presence unsettled him to no end.

The woman turned to Tenten and smiled at her kindly. "Hello," she said softly, "My name is Shizune. What's your name?"

Tenten released a breath that she'd been holding tensely. This woman seemed trustworthy enough, with her hands held open in a peaceful gesture and her kind face smiling openly at her. "Tenten."

"Tenten," she repeated, "that's a lovely name." Shizune sat down on the chair that the man had just stepped out of and rested the papers on her lap. "Tenten," she prodded, after a brief period of silence, "Are you, perhaps, wondering what exactly Diagon Alley is?"

Tenten nodded rapidly, eyes widening more and more by the second. Finally, some answers!

"I'm not sure how to put this," Shizune rubbed the back of her neck uncertainly. Tenten edged forward in an attempt to catch the string of words that were flying from her mouth. "Diagon Alley is a market place for witches and wizards all over England."

Her mind was completely, and utterly blank. Witches. Wizards. She laughed hysterically, ignoring the awkward expression on the older woman's face and the confused looks that the portraits were giving each other. Did she honestly believe that Tenten was foolish enough to believe in wizards? Magic?

Tenten's laughter diminished when she backtracked her thoughts. The portraits were alive; they could talk and walk, and the woman from before was holding a stick. Not an ordinary stick, no. It must have been a magic wand. She pinched herself again. Still not a dream.

This must have been an elaborate ploy to lure her into misbehaving and lose her dinner points for tonight. But then, who would be determined enough to plan something so large-scale? Surely not Augustus. He might be a big, mean bully, but he certainly wasn't clever or resourceful enough to perform something this...grandiose...for the sake of pranking her. Besides, the brute probably would've chosen to simply steal her dinner rather than orchestrate an elaborate plan to do so.

"What?" She managed to eke out.

"Diagon Alley is a market place for witches and wizards around Europe to congregate and replenish their supplies," Shizune restated patiently, "And, by sheer luck, you have managed to stumble into it." Oh, _boy_.

Tenten remained silent, feeling somewhat less terrified than before.

Shizune pressed on. "The Leaky Cauldron, Tenten, is the passageway into Diagon Alley. In other words, the portal connecting the non-wizarding world with the wizarding. I congratulate you on finding it."

She remained contemplatively silent. "Why are you telling me all this?"

The question seemed to catch her off-guard. "Well," Shizune started, "We, being the Minister and I," at her confused glance, the older woman elaborated, "the Minister for Magic is the man who runs the Wizarding Government, essentially. No, that man was just an official. Nevertheless, we do have reason to believe that you, Tenten, are a witch."

Tenten wasn't expecting that news. She felt like bursting into a new round of laughter at the ridiculousness of Shizune's claim. But the woman's expression didn't change, didn't morph into a wide, jocular smile, or anything of the sort. Instead, she seemed patient, and absolutely certain with her words.

"This is a joke," Tenten barks out, "A huge, gigantic prank. Who set you up to this? Augustus?"

Folding her arms, and looking slightly concerned at the implications of Tenten's accusations, "I assure you, it is the furthest thing from a joke." She leaned in closer, "Tenten. Has something out of the ordinary ever happened to you? Events you couldn't explain, even with the most advanced forms of science you know?"

She thought back to the previous year, when her coin collection disappeared from under her nose as Augustus and his bully friends were trying to find and desecrate it. And the time she'd fallen into the lake on a camping trip - swimming wasn't her forte - and immediately emerged as dry as the wood crackling under the bonfire that same night.

Tenten knew, deep down, that those events were far from commonplace. But, still, that didn't necessarily mean that she was a _witch_ , did it? Shizune seemed to think otherwise, especially when an expression of dawning comprehension appeared on Tenten's face.

"I can't be a witch, Shizune. I don't know a thing about magic, or any mystic arts. I'm just Tenten." The last part came out in a faint whisper.

Shizune smiled. "You're far from just Tenten, sweetheart. I'll prove it to you." Her kind, brown eyes flickered towards the necklace hanging around Tenten's neck. She stood up. "Off we go, dear."

"To where?" Tenten leapt off the mattress, curious to see where Shizune was going with this.

"A quaint little place called Diagon Alley."

* * *

 **Thank you to** **fanofthisfiction** **,** **jazzberryjuice** **and Guest for leaving beautiful reviews!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing, sadly.**

 **\- misspandalily**


	5. Ten Thousand Leagues - Just like Verne!

**AU: Ten Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (heavy AU, highly (highly!) unrealistic)**

 **Pairing:** SasukexSakura, NejixTenten, among many others.

* * *

Deep sea expeditions were The Chidori's forte.

It was a state-of-the-art submarine with reinforced adamantium walls that could withstand up to three hundred megapascals of pressure within a single dive. The fact that she could hold enough cargo for exactly one hundred men to live off for ten months was just another bonus.

Sasuke Uchiha only needed 13.

"General Uchiha, The Chidori will be ten thousand leagues under the sea in a matter of minutes." A snicker.

He rolled his eyes. "Idiot. This isn't a Jules Verne novel," but there was no venom in his words, "How is she managing?"

"Well," Naruto started, "Sakura-"

"The submarine."

"Oh," the blonde scratched the back of his head, dislodging his mariner's hat in the process, "No visible damage so far, only a little bit of strain, but nothing too serious. She's a real beauty."

Sasuke agreed; he'd made a wise choice spending more money on the barrier metal and pressure containers than their own necessities.

"Though," his friend continued, "we could do with better rooms."

"Naruto, get out," he replied softly.

"I'm _serious_ ," the man whined, "Why did we have to spend so much money on everything _but_ the beds? Do you know how unflattering that shade of grey is on me? Especially when it's _everywhere_? I have a wife to look hot in front of! Where's your sympathy?"

Alright, Sasuke admitted, he didn't have a fantastic eye for art, but costs needed to be cut _somewhere_.

"Hn. This isn't a luxury liner," Sasuke turned away from the small, circular window and strode away from Naruto dismissively. "Prepare the crew for a meeting."

"You do it," Naruto grumbled, "I'm sleeping."

* * *

Thirteen.

A lucky number.

Sasuke entered the meeting hall, which was, in all honesty, a modestly-decorated room with fake-carpet flooring and plastic seating areas, with his head held high.

His elite team comprised of the only people he'd ever managed to be around for more than twenty seconds, and to be frank, the only ones he trusted.

They weren't friends, alright. Naruto and Sai, his self-proclaimed brotherhood; Sakura, the lo- just, somebody he knows; Ino, Shikamaru and Choji, data-analysis dream-team with a tendency to erupt into intense verbal spats and midnight-snacking sessions; Hinata, Kiba and Shino, the quieter but frankly more efficient supervisor team when they're not helping out in the kitchens; and Neji, Tenten and Lee - Hyuga genius plus engineering duo equals drill squad, for some reason.

See? No 'friend' word there.

"Why so hoity-toity today?" He heard Tenten whisper to Sakura.

"Today," Sasuke said, ignoring the muffled giggles. This was why they weren't his friends. "We have reached the ultimate pinnacle of our lives-"

"-He means his life-"

"Ten," he shouted loudly, causing Naruto to jump in his seat, "Thousand. Ten thousand leagues under the sea. Just like Jules Verne."

Naruto's mouth was hanging open in affronted astonishment. "Y-"

He rolled his eyes. Fine. "That was Naruto's joke." He could take his lame joke if he wanted - tch, _loser_.

Ino and Sakura started clapping joyfully, so the rest of them followed through with shrill whistling and cheers.

"I'd like to thank all of you, for your work. The research, the food, the management, the engineering, the maintenance, the suffering, the happiness," he looked to Naruto and Lee in particular, "and the love. So," he walked over to the nearby storage cabinet and unlocked it, "as a token of my appreciation-"

" _You_ had _better mattresses_ and _pillows_ the _entire_ time?" They all, save for Neji, who only glared, and Shino, who hadn't spoken a word since they'd started their voyage a year ago, shouted in unison.

"Yes," he responded calmly. "It must have slipped my mind." Sasuke fixed a glare on them, daring any of the twelve to challenge his words. They didn't.

* * *

Ah, thirteen. A prestigious number.

The sleeping quarters were situated near the middle of the submarine; all doors were facing each other save for one at the end of the hallway, labelled 'Room 13'. It was Sasuke's, purely because it was the biggest room, and because-

"Sasuke, you're late," Sakura giggled, cross-legged and leaning against the headboard. There were a multitude of documents surrounding her, which she shuffled together into a large pile and placed on the ground. He smiled gently, removing his jacket and shoes before ambling over to her. "It's unbecoming of you."

"Well," he said, crawling up from the foot of the bed, "I've been a little busy."

Remaining in her seated position, Sakura smirked, watching him draw closer and closer until their noses touched.

"That's no excuse."

"You're right," he conceded, moving his arms forward and trapping her body in between his, "It's inexcusable."

"You should be punished," she whispered, letting him place a gentle kiss on her forehead, between her eyebrows, on her nose, her lips, "You so deserve it."

He growled when her hand made its way over his chest, fingers spread apart as they massaged his pectorals. Sasuke pulled his fiancé away from the headboard, wrapping her smooth legs around his hips before lowering the both of them back onto the mattress. She giggled; it sounded the Heavens were singing to him from above. Or, the local choir, since above was _technically_ the surface.

"Sakura," he moaned, and peppered her neck with butterfly kisses before sucking, hard, on the smooth surface of her alabaster skin. "You're beautiful," he breathed.

"I know." Sasuke rolled his eyes, but chose to relish in the moment.

They'd known each other since childbirth, essentially. Them and Naruto, with their little houses perched right next to each other on the same street, with their never-ending spats and twisted love triangles and unbreakable bonds. Everyone was in their mid-thirties by now, mostly married, with a few kids at school or stressing over exam marks; it had taken Sasuke and Sakura thirty years to finally look away from their stressful jobs ("She's a doctor, yay!" quote, Mikoto Uchiha) and realise that the only people they could possibly love uncontrollably was each other.

"I love you," he said, randomly, just as Sakura was starting to make her way down his chest. She stopped, then looked up at him with starry eyes.

"I love you too," she cooed, scratching his chin affectionately, "This is the second time you've told me that."

"Hn." He gathers her up into a hug, then tucks her head into the crook of his neck.

"In thirty five years, Sasuke."

"Your point?"

"The first time was when we got engaged."

He smirked, shut his eyes, then kissed the top of her hairline. "Need an IOU?"

"No," she wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled in, "But I could use a massage every now and then."

"I'll have Neji draw up the contract tomorrow."

"You just ruined the mood, honey."

"Do I get another punishment?" His eyes lit up when she hummed and started pressing kisses onto his chest.

"Yes," she peered up at him through the curtain of her cherry-blossom hair and smirked, "You get ten thousand."

Sasuke let out a rare chuckle. "Just like Verne."

Thirteen, a fantastic number.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I own nuttin'**

 **-misspandalily**


	6. Origin Part B - Grotty Revelations

**AU: Hogwarts, Part B of Part 0 (only planning about four parts for the origins saga)**

 **Pairing:** none yet!

* * *

 **Part B. Grotty revelations**

* * *

Tenten shook her head, dying to know the backstory behind her sole legacy. "It's the key to a Gringotts vault. Gringotts is the chief wizarding bank, run by goblins." They turned round a corner, and continued down the street. She tried her very best not to gawk at the exquisite sights that surrounded her while Shizune talked. "It seems that at one point, someone left you with their belongings, and only you can access it, because you have the key."

Tenten looked down at the golden key in muted wonder. She was connected to someone, _somewhere_. Tenten, the orphan, was not alone - that notion single-handedly filled her to the brim with elated happiness. "Why me?"

A flicker of discomfort flashed across Shizune's face at this query. "I do not know."

Suddenly, a harrowing thought dawned upon her. "Shizune," the older woman hummed pensively, "If we're going to the bank - to examine my- my stuff, don't I need some form of identification? I mean, the banks in my world all need you to present your information before you can access your belongings." She quietened down when Shizune started to gaze at her curiously. "I'm sorr-"

"No, no," Shizune smiled kindly, "Don't be sorry. You're extremely sharp, for someone so young. It just caught me off guard."

"Oh." She blushed happily, ignoring the lack of an answer. After all, it wasn't every day that Tenten received a compliment. The Orphanage's staff were always so busy, and she didn't have many friends both in and out of school either. "Thank you."

Eventually, they reached a looming, white marble building with the word 'Gringotts Wizarding Bank' emblazoned in golden font, overhead a mahogany-wood door. "Wow," she caught herself gawking again, then quickly ran ahead to catch up with Shizune, who was already cracking open the front door. Inside, however, was another story, because the last thing Tenten was expecting to see was _goblins_. Goblins! They exist! What?

Shizune, completely unfazed, strode to the front of room with her head held high, towards a wrinkled creature sitting at the front desk.

"Name?" It croaked out, not bothering to look up at either of them.

"Shizune Kato. I'm here on Hogwarts business." She extracted a worn piece of parchment from the inside of her coat and handed it over to the goblin silently. Tenten refrained from asking Shizune what was _actually happening_.

The goblin finally deigned to glance up from it's paperwork, having read through the parchment, and handed it back to Shizune. Then, its beady eyes turned to Tenten, and it smirked maliciously. "It seems the House has returned."

"What?" Tenten eked out, mildly curious. Her guardian moved to shield Tenten from the goblin's stare protectively.

"May we return to our business, Blorgrod? I'm afraid that I'm a little bit pressed for time today." Tenten couldn't see Shizune's face, but the tensed muscles of her back and her defensive stance was more than enough of an indication that Shizune was quickly losing her patience. The question was, over what?

"Of course," Blorgrod grinned nastily, then stepped down from its pedestal and led them into a dark tunnel, where they were sat down into a metal carriage. "Hold on to the sides."

That, Tenten reflected, after being sent on the most terrifying pseudo-rollercoaster ride of her life, was a good piece of advice. By the time the hunk of metal screeched to a sharp halt in front of a large, circular vault door, she was ready to hurl up the contents of her meagre breakfast. Shizune placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, then moved towards the door with Blorgrod. The goblin held up a gnarly finger to the metal, then moved it downwards until a series of patterns separated under his touch. She winced at the horrible screeching sound that the movement made. "Vault 569, you have ten minutes."

Shizune thanked him brusquely, then pushed Tenten forwards gently.

Tenten, for the life of her, could not fathom the logic behind the sight that greeted her. Inside Vault 569 were piles upon piles of pure, sparkling gold. A sea of jewels, coins (coins!), shimmering trinkets and odd knick-knacks swam around in her vision, nearly blinding her. Her lips went dry. "What-What's all this?" She asked Shizune.

"It's all yours."

"No," she shook her head, finally tearing her eyes away from the treasures, "I don't own anything, much less all _this_."

Shizune had that uncomfortable look on her face again. "It belongs to your family, Tenten. They left it all behind, for you."

 _Well_.

 _That_ was new information.

"Are you sure?" Tenten didn't want to get her hopes up too soon, lest she return to the dejection of losing a prospective family again.

The lady shrugged, though her expression was grim and resolute. "Rumour has it, only the descendants of this particular line will be able to step foot into this vault without being completely shut out. I myself would have only been able to walk in because _you_ did."

"I-"

"Two minutes," Blorgrod informed them snootily. So, exactly two minutes later, they'd gathered up a sizeable amount of coins into a leather pouch that Shizune had procured from her coat, returned to the wild rollercoaster ride, and were stepping back into the sunlight with the pouch of coins jingling against Tenten's side.

Only then, when they were out of the vicinity of Bank, had she summed up enough courage to question Shizune about her heritage again.

"Perhaps we should discuss this matter in private," Shizune replied vaguely. They walked into an open-spaced ice-cream parlour filled to the brim with chatty witches and wizards from around the globe. It was, as she suddenly realised, a hot summer's day today. Tenten was thankful for the rest-stop.

Shizune ordered two strange-looking sundaes from the floating menu, pressed a few coins into the shop-keeper's hands, then ducked her head down to speak to her in a low voice. "Tenten. What I am about to discuss with you is _highly_ sensitive information. You _cannot_ , in any circumstances, release this information to anyone. Believe me when I say that only a few people know about your true identity-"

"Excluding me," Tenten interrupted impatiently, but nodded nonetheless.

"Yes," the woman nodded, "Even you do not know how you truly are." She took in a deep breath, frowned at the bustling crowd around them, then extracted her wand and muttered, "Muffliato." Nothing happened.

"What did you just do?"

"Silencing Charm. Never mind that. Listen. Eleven years ago, a dark, dark wizard rose to the heights of his power, and led one of the most _horrifying_ massacres in magical history. Thousands of men, women and children were slaughtered under his rule; nobody was exempt, save for the purebloods."

"Purebloods?"

"Magical folk who descend from purely-magical lines. There are three, widely-believed, categories of blood magic: muggle, half-blood, and pureblood. There are, of course, _absolutely redundant_ notions and attitudes associated with each type, with 'purebloods' being the most prized amongst supremacists. This Dark Lord, in particular, believed that only those of a pure line of magic were allowed to practise magic, and that everybody else defiled the wizarding name. _False claims_ , Tenten, these are _false_. Some of the greatest witches and wizards in the world are muggleborns."

Tenten took a hesitant sip out of her sundae, letting the fizzing sensation travel through her body. This was an awful lot of information to pass down in one day. Shizune, who had been close to tears before, composed herself.

"What-uh, what happened to this _Lord_?"

"That's the thing," her voiced lowered to a hushed whisper, even though they were already, allegedly silent to those around them, "Nobody really knows. All reports of his activities ceased eleven years ago, when he attacked a small wizarding family in Godric's Hollow, a village. Rumour has it," Kami, there were a lot of rumours in this world, "that he was destroyed by a toddler."

"A toddler," Tenten said flatly, "A toddler killed this Dark Lord?"

"You seem doubtful," Shizune noted, "Many were, but his disappearance and this little boy's survival was more than enough proof to most people. We hope, dearly hope, that he is gone forever. And, that's where you come into the picture."

"Me?" This story would have been the most ridiculous of them all, had Tenten not already witnessed the mechanisms of the wizarding world first-hand.

"Yes, you." Another deep breath. "You, Tenten, are his daughter."

"No." Tenten said immediately. How could she possibly be the daughter of a mass-murderer? "That's not true. There's no proof. _Why_ me? How did he even have enough time to procreate, on top of killing off half of the world? I can't-"

"You can't believe it," Shizune finished swiftly, the uncomfortable expression returning. "He was known to have...procreated, as you so aptly put it, during his younger years. Profusely. And, for some unknown reason, chose to leave all of his belongings to you."

Tenten shook her head, several times, then some more, then pushed the sundaes away from her. She felt her lips wobble uncontrollably, and felt a moist pressure dribbling down her cheeks. "Disgusting," she said, "I'm disgusting."

"No," Shizune frowned, "You're innocent. Children don't choose their parents, but you can choose how to move down your own path by yourself." Though the woman's words were logical, it suddenly struck Tenten that Shizune was terrible at comforting traumatised children.

"I'm a predetermined killer. You can't change what you already have." She was eleven, for Kami's sake! Who tells an eleven-year-old child that their father is a mass-murderer, and hope that she'll be fine with it? What if she went along with her _nature_? Her _calling_?

"But you don't have the makings of a killer, Tenten. You can _make_ yourself."

"Why did you even tell me all this? What is the _point_ of burdening me with this, so early on? Couldn't you have waited for me to grow up? I'm eleven tomorrow! What is _wrong_ with you?"

Shizune breathed in and out again, "Would you rather that I lied? I've only known you for a few hours, but you've never struck me as someone who appreciates lies."

Tenten sat back, chest still heaving from the revelations of the day, and the sudden, lead-like weight on her chest.

This Dark Lord, a ruthless killer, was her father. She would rather take another rejection than acknowledge that fact. Even she didn't want to accept her heritage, now that she _knew_. Now that her questions were finally answered, after a decade's worth of questioning, she wanted to take it all back and return to her previous, ignorant state. She pawed at the tears, still flowing down her face, grabbed a tissue from the table, and wiped down her face miserably.

Because, even with all of this information, Tenten thirsted for _more_.

After a long period of silence, during which Tenten hiccupped her way through her sundae and ignored the concerned looks of passers-by, and Shizune guiltily nibbled on a biscuit, "Who was my mother?"

"I don't know," Shizune responded silently. "Her identity was kept a secret from the world, much like yours is now."

What if Tenten knew her parents? What if they'd all, under an unlikely chance, lived in harmony with each other and celebrated her birthdays together, and their anniversaries?

"What was my father's name then?" Surely, Shizune would know.

"I don't know that either. He operated under a pseudonym, and revealed his name to no one."

Maybe she would have known who her father was. Perhaps he was a gentle soul before he rose to power. Unlikely, yes, but Tenten wanted to hope, of all things. She had a surname, but it was hidden in the pages of history; she didn't know which pages to read or know anyone who could tell her. Tenten was the nameless orphan yet again, stuck with a key that would only lead to her a vault of gold. That thought alone filled her with sadness, mixed with a hint of anger. She didn't want gold, not when she had a family to look for!

"Then, what was his pseudonym?"

The woman seemed terrified at the mere thought of saying his name out loud. "I-" Tenten stared at her pleadingly. Murderer though this man was, he was the only link she had to a family. "Don't make me say this more than once."

" _Izanagi_." Shizune held a hand to her heart while taking deep, heaving breaths.

"Izanagi?" Tenten parroted out loud.

"Tenten, p-please-"

"Right, sorry. Sorry," though she wasn't exactly sure why, "How come you..." She made a hand motion instead of elaborating, which Shizune accepted.

"Most of us don't like to say his name. It...brings back bad memories. Terrible memories," she seemed to notice the reappearance of Tenten's sadness, as she clasped her shoulder comfortingly, "Like I said earlier: you control your own fate, Tenten. It doesn't matter what your parents did, because you are not them."

"Why would you tell me all of that, when I can't even say who my parents are in public without being shunned?"

Shizune had no reply for that.

* * *

 **Thank you, fanofthisfiction, for reviewing so kindly! To any new readers, we encourage you to join fanofthisfiction's FRM movement (more details on either of our profiles)! **

**-misspandalily**


	7. Tenten's Guide to Bodyguard-Dating

**Tumblr prompt:** Tenten is Neji's hired bodyguard.

 **Pairings:** NejixTenten

* * *

All the signs were there.

The eyes. The hair. The 180-degree posture. The _billboards_.

She was, ironically, too unobservant to connect the blinking red dots and see the reality lying before her. Trained since she could talk, Tenten could hold her breath underwater for five whole minutes, and sprint over a tightrope suspended 500 yards above the ground while holding a screaming baby. But, she could not - _for the life of her_ \- realise that Neji Hyuga was in fact her client, and not the blind date that Temari had set up for her.

Unfortunately, Tenten found that out the hard way.

* * *

 **Sunday, June 26. 8:56 AM**

 **From: Konoha Intelligence Agency**

 **To: Agent 02**

 **Re: Your new assignment**

Report to HQ by exactly 1400 hours. Do not be late.

* * *

 **Classified**

 **June 26| 1359 UTC**

Tenten pushed open the doors to Agent 00's office, and was immediately greeted by a bright, blinding light that folded over her line of sight. She briefly paused at the doorway to readjust her vision, then strode towards her boss as she returned his customary blink of acknowledgement with a smile.

"Agent Two," he removed his chin from the dip in his folded hands, welcoming her into the seat opposite his desk. Tenten took it graciously. "Punctual, as always."

Sasuke Uchiha wasn't the type of person who wasted more than three seconds on "trivial" things like niceties and social etiquette, unless it was for a meeting with potential connections, or a dinner with Sakura's parents. The moment Tenten opened her mouth to greet him formally, he slid a thick manila folder over and said, authoritatively, "You know the drill; memorise every letter, of every word, of every line. Ensure that you do not leave a single page unturned or unread."

Unperturbed by his blunt orders, Tenten heaved the folder onto her lap, opened it up, and hooked a finger over the first sheet of paper she encountered: her client's profile.

"Hyuga, Neji," she whistled, impressed. "But, uh," Sasuke's right eyebrow rose inquisitively, "There's no picture of him."

He coughed. "Do you read tabloid magazines, Agent Two?"

"No?" Tenten was a little affronted by the sudden topic shift; she hadn't taken Sasuke as the kind of man who would spend his days rifling through gossip columns with avid enthusiasm. "Do you?"

"Of course not," he shifted in his seat, "However, considering your client... I would deem it wise to brush up on your knowledge of the world around you."

Tenten didn't know what to say, because one simply didn't work for an intelligence agency for a little over five years without knowing anything about the world around them. She didn't vocalise her concerns, of course; nobody spoke their mind to Sasuke Uchiha unless they wanted out, or they were his wife. "With all due respect, sir, gossip magazines tend to present a rather...sensationalist interpretation of our world." He narrowed his eyes at her, as if daring her to further protest against and disobey his commands. She decided, to Hell with it, and continued, "I don't believe that reading tabloids will be wholly necessary to my client's protection."

Tenten bit her tongue when his glare deepened. "Please pardon me, I j-"

He held up a hand, stare unwavering. "Conceded. You may leave."

After years of being accustomed to Sasuke's curt mannerisms, she didn't think twice about his brusque dismissal; if anything, he was being nicer than usual. She nodded, standing up from her seat before making a beeline towards the door.

It was only after she stepped out of the office that she finally deigned to look at the nearby news-stand's pile of _OK Konoha_ prints, all stacked on top of each other, ready to sell like hotcakes, and headlined with an emboldened "Hyuga Harlot Strikes Again!". A flurry of hands flew past her, making grabs for the magazines like no tomorrow.

"Another one. Lovely," a sneering woman with bright, red hair was flipping through some of the pages in front of her, "This guy seriously needs to keep his pants together."

Tenten huffed, deeming her brief detour a useless venture, then made her way to the cabs parked down the street. Regardless of Neji Hyuga's reputation, being his bodyguard meant standing behind him as his shadow, no questions asked, no judgement passed unnecessarily. When the time called for it, Tenten was a professional.

That, and the paycheck would be her salvation from taxes for months.

* * *

 **Sunday, June 26. 10:00 AM**

 **From: tampon**

If you ditch this blind date again, I swear to Kami that you will regret it. Be at the Tavern at 6pm tonight; he'll be the guy waiting for you at the bar. Love you! xx

* * *

 **Sunday, June 26. 6:30 PM**

 **From: Konoha Intelligence Agency**

 **To: Agent 02**

 **Re: Assignment details**

Ensure that the integrity of your files are not compromised. Should such an event occur, we will take appropriate action.

Your assignment begins on Monday, at precisely 0900 hours. Behave accordingly.

* * *

 **The Tavern**

 **June 26| 1900 UTC**

It was a conspiracy.

Her friends were trying to set her up with the biggest snob in history as payback for filling their shampoo bottles with mayonnaise, because _this_ guy, this _guy_ , was a grade-A asshole.

"Hi! I'm Tenten. You must be Temari's friend." She forced a cheerful smile onto her brusquely made-up face, and refrained from slapping the guy when he took in her attire with a look of utter scorn. Admittedly, black, office-standard heels, hastily pulled-back chignon buns, and a scrunched-up black dress weren't exactly suitable for any date of any kind, but it wasn't like _he_ was even trying either. No self-respecting gentleman wore a business suit to a blind date and ordered a shot of vodka without asking his date if she wanted a drink, too.

As it happened, Tenten really _did_ want a drink, because work. And, stress-inducing friends.

She looked back down at the text to make sure she wasn't getting any information wrong. She was at the Tavern on High Street, the one near Hyuga Industries that they always frequented on Fridays, after Hinata stepped out of her gruelling office job. Tenten inwardly hoped that her blind date had gotten sick of her an hour ago, when she was sleeping instead of keeping her promise, and ditched the bar, because this particular man's judgemental stare was getting on her nerves. If he denied any associations with Temari, then Tenten was free. If not-

"Temari no Sabaku?" He asked, in his annoyingly smooth voice. Also, damn her. Tenten nodded, hiding the grimace that was starting to make its way onto her face.

"Yeah, that's her." She settled herself into the barstool two places away from him.

"Ah."

There were other things that Tenten could be doing, like going through the files she left in her safe at home, or re-organising the home-desk that she'd been piling files onto for half a year. Call her a work-a-holic, but rent never payed itself, and Tenten wasn't all too fond of wasting her time in a pub next to an icicle with a superiority complex.

She hummed, surmising that Temari wasn't exactly spying on her, so there was no need to actually do anything on the date. For all Tenten cared, they could just sit at the bar for the entire night, absorbed in their own little worlds, and no one would be the wiser except the sleepy-eyed bartender and possibly the drunk, unconscious man lying a few seats away.

Reaching a pleasing conclusion, Tenten signalled the barman over for a shot of whisky, then sighed. Just one night of procrastination wouldn't hurt. She had enough time for a couple of drinks before heading home and getting all her research done for her new client.

Yes, that was a viable plan. She sipped at the glass contemplatively, before a sudden buzzing sound at her side pulled her away from her blissful self-indulgence. It was Temari.

"Hey, girl."

"What are you doing?" Temari's voice was calm, placid, and that was scary.

"I'm at the Tavern, like you said. I mean," Tenten snuck a quick glance at her date, who was as caught up in his own thoughts as she had been. "Nothing much is happening, aside from the drinking."

Her friend let out a pained groan. "Have you at least said hi? Is he even the correct person?"

Tenten shrugged. "I've introduced myself, I guess. He seems to know who you are, so I'm assuming he's the right guy." Her date's attention suddenly shifted over to her, brilliant grey eyes observing the conversation attentively. She opted for a friendly approach and sent him a toothy grin.

"You're hopeless," Temari dead panned. "I see why Sakura stopped trying to set you up in highschool now. Kami forbid if you ever had to speak to a _male_."

"Don't be silly," she paused, downing the rest of drinking without batting an eyelash. From the corner of her vision, she saw The Date smirk. "I talk to plenty of guys."

"Your workmates don't count, and neither do Lee and Gai. Those two are on a class of their own."

"My boys," Tenten wiped an invisible tear away from her eye, "How they make me smile."

From the other end, she could imagine Temari pulling a face, and giggled. "Anyway, you may have some hope yet. Stick it out with this guy; trust me, he's a good one."

"We'll see." The line disconnected seconds later, after which Tenten leapt off her seat and started to head towards the door. She was tipsy, but drunk-Tenten who normally took risks or did as Temari wished without question was dormant today. Today, she had work to do.

Well, had, before a warm hand cupped itself around her shoulder and stopped her in her tracks. She automatically twirled herself out of the stranger's grasp, pressing her thumb deep into the pulse point on their wrist, and twisted the arm elbow-up so that their back was hunched over towards her.

It was The Date, hissing in pain.

"Oh, sorry!" Tenten released her hold at once, then watched him hug his arm to his chest and turn around to glare at her. She grinned again, but sheepishly. "Knee-jerk reaction. I seriously did _not_ mean to hurt you. Cross my heart."

The guy grimaced; something akin to approval, mixed with fascination, flashed in his eyes. "No harm done," he grumbled back, "If anything, I'm impressed. And, incredibly surprised."

"Oh." Tenten stared at him blankly, "Thank you?"

Her Date nodded imperceptibly, then coughed and moved himself into a more dignified stance, as though he hadn't had his ass handed to him seconds before.

"Did you need something?" She queried, having remembered that he probably grabbed her shoulder for a reason.

"Yes," he tilted his chin towards the bartender, whose sleepy eyes were slanted at her ominously. "You didn't pay for your drink."

Right. She grinned at the barman sheepishly, then pulled out a few notes and pressed them into his hand. "Sorry about that."

Tenten turned towards the man and gave him her default, polite smile. She had a tactic that she used whenever Temari tried to set her up: apologise, reach a false compromise, point to thin air, leave. And, as luck would have it, there was a lady in the corner booth making sultry eyes at her Date. "I'll be leaving now, sorry for being so terrible, but that woman over there seems to have her eye on you - who knows? Maybe you two are soulmates."

Predictably, the man's head swivelled around to the corner booth, successfully allowing Tenten to dash out of the Tavern and into an awaiting cab.

 _Score_.

* * *

 **Alarm**

 **6:00 AM**

Rise and shine, meathead.

* * *

 **Trending!**

Neji Hyuga; one night, two women?

* * *

 **Hyuga Industries**

 **June 27| 0830 UTC**

"Hello, may I help you?"

Tenten smiled sweetly, eyes scrutinising the sleek, marbled floors and shiny, glass windows from behind her shades. She counted twelve security cameras in total: two behind the receptionist's desk, and ten encircling the foyer. She tilted her head to the left ever so slightly. There was an extravagant fountain situated on the wall adjacent from her, spewing out water from the mouth of a golden lion. Its pupils flashed green every now and then; bingo, two more cameras.

"Do you need any assistance?" The receptionist repeated, smile stiffly plastered onto her face.

"Yes. I have an appointment with Mr Hiashi Hyuga at nine today."

She nodded, fingers clicking on the keys in front of her immediately. "Name?"

"Tenten."

Another nod. "Level thirty-six. I'll let the staff upstairs know about your arrival. Have a good day!"

Tenten thanked her quickly as she headed towards the nearest lift and punched in a pristine '36' button. She took a deep breath, flying through the information she'd crammed into her head the night before. Neji Hyuga, famed Hyuga Industries ambassador; new, right-hand man of heir Hinata Hyuga; and, if the magazines had taught her anything yesterday, a flesh-pleasuring man. It made Tenten realise that in all her years of knowing Hinata, she hadn't once mentioned a famous cousin or relative - then again, Tenten never had asked about Hinata's family.

The elevator decelerated to a stop a level before her destination, doors sliding open with a smooth, whooshing sound. She impatiently tapped her foot against the floor, silently begging a giggling couple to hasten their entry into the lift. Her eyes rolled to the side as they finally stepped in.

"Oh!" A sultry voice exclaimed beside her, "Looks like we won't be having any fun for now."

Gross. Tenten ignored the woman's heavy breathing, and did her best not to cringe when she witnessed the barnacle-like determination with which the woman held on to the man's arm.

His voice, somewhat detached, was - for lack of a better word - reassuring for the lady. "Lunch, then. The place from yesterday."

Tenten risked a glance backwards at the embracing duo, who were now in the midst of a heated tongue battle, then doubled back in shock before facing forwards again. It was The Date, having clearly taken her advice and moved on to the woman at the corner booth. Level thirty-six couldn't have arrived any sooner.

She strode out hurriedly, then winced when the man detangled himself from the corner-booth woman's arms followed her. Kami, whoever this guy was, she'd definitely be seeing him more often from now on, if he was working on this level. Thankfully, he didn't seem to have recognised her sans-buns and with sunglasses. Feeling a little less chagrined, Tenten parroted out the words she'd said to the office lady downstairs, then followed this one to an ebony-wood door labelled 'CEO HIASHI HYUGA'.

"He'll be with you in a moment," the bubbly woman informed, then walked back to her desk with a slight bounce in her step. Strange, she'd gotten the impression that Hyuga Industries employees were all rigid and conservative, but clearly Tenten was mistaken. Breathing in and out once again, Tenten gave the door a firm knock.

Immediately, "Come in." Twisting the doorknob open with sure hands, she entered an enormous, sun-lit office in which a man with stress lines all over his face, was reclining against his Corinthian-leather, Emperor chair. "Tenten." He greeted her, stood up from his chair, and gave her a quick handshake, which she reciprocated kindly. There were no exchanges of polite smiles, or pleasant grins, but the fact that Hinata's father remembered her well enough to be comfortable with shaking her hand was a major achievement. "I appreciate your willingness to take on my nephew as your client. I fear his safety will be compromised with his appointment as Hinata's second-in-command. Rest assured, I am confident that you will perform your task expertly."

"Thank you, sir."

The buzzer rang. Hiashi pressed down on it. "Yamanaka, please tell my nephew to enter within the next twenty seconds. He is late."

The chipper voice from before echoed through the speaker. "Sure thing, sir."

When indicated, Tenten seated herself in an armchair, removed her sunglasses, and readjusted her eyes to the new wave of light as she awaited the arrival of Neji Hyuga. The wall-clock ticked.

Suddenly, "Sorry, Uncle. I had some prior business to handle." The door clicked shut, which evidently shocked the both of them, as they leapt out of their chairs to greet Neji. For the second time that day, Tenten doubled back.

Her words flew out of her mouth before she could clamp it shut. " _You're_ Hyuga Neji?"

The Date, the billionaire, the mastermind, the perpetually-horny playboy, was her client. Sasuke's earlier warnings rang through her head as she stared at Neji Hyuga, dumbstruck.

 _Do you read tabloid magazines, Agent Two?_

She sure as Hell wished she had.

* * *

 **~ Daily Horoscope ~**

Don't mix business with pleasure!


	8. Origin Part C - Ryu the Dragon

**AU: Hogwarts, Origin Story Part C**

 **Pairings:** none yet!

 **Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter, and Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto.**

* * *

 **Part C. Ryu the Dragon**

* * *

"Your birthday is tomorrow, isn't it?" They were walking along the street of Diagon Alley again, this time with Shizune allowing the both of them to look around at the sights and wander into shops to peruse wares.

Tenten felt the previous events of the day push themselves into the back of her mind as they kept strolling along, and let out a contented sigh. There was no way that she would let her history interfere with this trip; everything in front of her was so much more fascinating than the life of a murderer. If she could have more happy moments like these more often, ambling down an eccentric road with a kind woman who gave her warm smiles, then she would seize them by the handle and treasure them.

"Yes," she bobbed her head up and down excitedly, even more so when they passed by Eyelops Owl Emporium, "I'm turning eleven tomorrow."

"That's good," Shizune beamed, "Then, consider this an early birthday present," she extracted yet another piece of parchment from her jacket and handed it to Tenten.

It was an envelope, of all things. Gazing up at Shizune curiously, Tenten pried the seal apart and removed several pieces of paper from the pocket. After hearing more encouraging noises from Shizune, telling her to "go on, read it", she was standing in the middle of Diagon Alley with her mouth hanging wide open.

"Hogwarts? School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? There are schools for magic?"

The woman nodded. "There are many. Hogwarts, in particular, is the school designated to students dwelling in the United Kingdom."

Her mouth was still opening and closing like that of a fish out of water. She peered down at the acceptance letter yet again, shocked. "Why do _I_ have a letter?"

"You've been on the register ever since you were born," she replied casually, as though this piece of information was completely normal, which, given Tenten's current surroundings, probably was, "Although, I admit that I was not due to give this letter to you until tomorrow. Strike when the iron is hot, I suppose," Shizune shrugged, then smiled at Tenten. "Would you like to come to Hogwarts?"

"What about my highschool?" Tenten asked, with a look of pained realisation. She downheartedly registered that she still had highschool to attend when the school year began, and all of a sudden, the prospect of making new friends in secondary school seemed dull compared to Hogwarts. "Won't I need to attend? To learn about mathematics? And science?"

"The choice is yours," Shizune responded diplomatically, "But should you choose to attend Hogwarts, the Orphanage staff will be informed that you were accepted into an exclusive boarding school in Scotland," a wink, and a cheerful grin, "We can't have everyone know about the wizarding world, can we? Imagine how much more crowded Diagon Alley will be!"

A barn owl screeched when they walked past it, then ruffled its feathers arrogantly as Tenten comically returned its haughty gaze.

"So," Shizune spoke up again, "Will you go?"

Tenten beamed back, elated. "Definitely!"

* * *

Shizune ushered Tenten into a strange, dusty shop situated at the very end of Diagon Alley.

The moment they stepped foot inside its creaky wooden interior, an old man magically appeared in front of them, magic wand in his hand as he silently scrutinised Tenten's appearance. Shizune was hurriedly stuffing all of Tenten's new school supplies into a strange, bottomless backpack that they'd purchased only a few moments ago.

"You are new," he said, in a withered, misty voice, "The wizarding world is very new to you, and yet," the man leaned forward until the tip of his nose was mere centimetres away from hers, "You have a long, long history that precedes you."

Flabbergasted, Tenten nodded, not knowing _why_ she was even agreeing with him. Unless- unless, he was referring to the history she'd _just_ learnt about this day. That would make more sense, but he really wasn't supposed to know anything, was he? Shizune's pointed cough and narrowed eyes confirmed Tenten's suspicions. The man retraced his steps and led them to his weathered desk.

"I remember ever wand I've ever sold, young girl, and I suspect that I know exactly _who_ bought the wands of those who birthed you."

An odd thing to tell someone you've just met, surely, but Tenten couldn't help but feel fascinated by the knowledge lurking within the depths of the old man's eyes. Another cough from her caretaker brought them both back to reality, and the old man waved his hand before wandering away into the scores of bookshelves. When Tenten said scores, she meant _scores_. There were at least twenty that spanned across the width of the shop, and definitely several more adjoined to each of those gargantuan shelves as they ran down the length of the room. How this was managed, Tenten surmised, was probably aided by the use of magic.

And she suspected that there was _plenty_ of that, because in each shelf of every bookshelf, there were hundreds of different boxes bearing different names for wands. She was amazed that the old man seemed to know exactly where to go and which wand he was pulling out, even though he seemed to be extracting them at whim.

"Who is he?" Tenten whispered up to Shizune, still observing the old man's erratic actions.

"Mr Ollivander," Shizune replied helpfully, "His family is known for being one of the oldest wand-making families in the world. You won't find a better wand outside of here, that's for sure."

"Oh." Tenten felt pleased. She was learning more and more things about the wizarding world by the second, and actually discovering that she _belongs_ somewhere, somewhere with a rich history, and eccentric shops and figures, filled Tenten with a swelling sense of happiness. "Do I get to have my own wand?"

Shizune nodded; affirmative. "Of course! We'll be spending the rest of the day purchasing school supplies before you return to the Orphanage. As it happens, you stumbling into Diagon Alley was most convenient; I didn't have to venture all the way to your home to give you this letter."

"Fate?"

The woman grinned at her, and shrugged. "Possibly. I've never believed in such machinations. Divination is a flawed art."

Tenten didn't have the opportunity to ask what divination was, because Ollivander returned, moments later, with a large pile of wand boxes in his arms, and settled them down gently on his desk. The old hardwood trembled under the weight of the wands, but - miraculously - remained upright.

"Here you go," he delicately opened the first box on the pile and handed it over to her, "Chestnut, unicorn hair, thirteen inches; reasonably supple." Mr Ollivander took in Tenten's blank expression with an arched eyebrow. "Go on, girl, give it a wave!"

Tenten nodded slowly, then flicked the wand to the right and jumped when it sent a small lightning bolt towards the closest bookshelf. He snatched it out of her hands and handed her the next wand, only to remove it from her the moment she touched it. "No, no," he muttered under his breath. She was starting to get incredibly irritated. "This wont do."

They repeated the same sequence over and over again, each time with less fruitful results; Tenten didn't know whether to berate the old man or not, because Shizune looked on patiently and encouraged Tenten to endure through the selection process with a smile on her face. That was easy for her to say, she didn't need to go through millions of wands.

Moments later, "Tenten, I'm going to go ahead and purchase your other school supplies. It's nearly time for all the stores to close, but don't worry - I'll come back in a jiffy." Shizune, carrying half of Tenten's money sack, hurried out of Ollivander's wand shop with a frown on her face. Mr Ollivander shifted Tenten's focus back to the wands as she gave him a hefty sigh.

"Sir, with all due respect, I don't see why we have to go through so many wands when we can just choose a random one from the stack!"

Thankfully, he didn't seem the slightest bit upset with her complaint, and smiled. There was a twinkle in his eyes as he said, "The wand chooses the wizard, Tenten." And nothing else.

So she accepted that statement, and continued gritting her teeth through several more piles until finally-

"Red Oak, dragon heartstring, twelve inches; supple. Very supple," Mr Ollivander eyed her curiously, "Curious." His lips thinned, stretching out the wrinkles lined around his mouth. "Give it a wave."

Tenten gingerly plucked the wand from its box, half-expecting fire and brimstone to shoot out of it's edge, and was pleasantly surprised by a rush of warmth that coursed through her veins like hot chocolate on a cold winter's night. She whooped in delight when a lovely, miniature firework burst out of the tip and enveloped the room in a bright, shimmering glow.

Mr Ollivander looked pleased. "I think that I can expect great things from you, Miss Shimura."

* * *

When Tenten emerged from Ollivanders, wand-box clutched securely in her hands, Shizune was standing in front of her triumphantly. Her brown eyes travelled down the length of the woman's arm, then popped out when she noticed the same haughty owl from earlier, ruffling its feathers as it sat on its caged perch.

"Think of it as a birthday present," Shizune said cheerfully, "And a gift for your official welcome into the wizarding world."

Tenten stumbled forwards, admiring the arrogant owl's magnificence, and grinned. "Thank you," she replied, shakily taking hold of the cage, "Ryu."

"Dragon?" Shizune translated.

"Yes," Tenten beamed, "I've always loved dragons."

The woman smiled, then motioned them towards the bustling street. "It's time for you to go home, now. I expect to see you in exactly six months from now, inside the corridors of Hogwarts." They strode together in silence; Tenten couldn't help but think about the name that Mr Ollivander had addressed her with. Miss Shimura. Shimura. Shimura. She repeated it in her head like a mantra.

The old man, mildly senile though he was, did claim that his memory was in ship-shape condition; she believed it to be as well, going by the rapid, yet sure, movements that she had seen in the wand store. There was certainly no why he could have referred to her as a Shimura, other than to supplicate her with a surname. A _surname_.

The question was, did it belong to _him_?

"Shizune?"

"Yes?"

"Mr Ollivander called me something while you were away." Seeing no further response from her, Tenten continued, "Miss Shimura?" She observed Shizune's reaction closely. Her expression did not shift. If anything, the woman seemed confused.

"Shimura?" Shizune repeated her words, then looked pensive.

"I don't recall hearing about anyone named 'Shimura' on the streets of London," Tenten didn't know how to feel about that. Shizune ceased her movements to place her hands on either side of Tenten's shoulder. "Perhaps he'd made a mistake. Goodness knows how old Mr Ollivander is now."

"Then," Tenten pursed her lips, then released them, "How-"

"I don't know, Tenten," Shizune said firmly, a little _too_ firmly. Tenten winced from the sudden pain of Shizune's tightening fingers. Registering the agonised expression on Tenten's face, Shizune softened her hold and stood back up.

"I don't know."

* * *

 **Thank you, so much, to fanofthisfiction, Wintry Leen and keroRiBBIT, for the reviews! **

**On another note, Part D will be the last of this Origins saga (Neji incoming!)**

 **\- misspandalily**


	9. Tenten's Guide to Bodyguard-Dating P2

**Tenten's Guide to Bodyguard Dating - Part 2**

 **AN: The public ( keroRiBBIT, Wintry Leen, fanofthisfiction, imjustanotheroneofthem, Nairil) has spoken, and I shall deliver.**

 **Or,**

 **Brought to you by another spout of intense procrastination!**

 **Pairings:** NejiTen

* * *

 **Hyuga Industries; Level 36**

 **June 27| 0910 UTC**

Neji paused in his tracks, taking took a long, hard look at Tenten's shocked indignation before slowly turning his wide-eyed gaze away to face his uncle. He seemed to have recognised her, if the dawning comprehension that embraced his features was any indicator.

Hiashi coughed politely. "I see that you two have already been acquainted." Ignoring their dumbfounded reactions, he pressed forth. "Splendid; saves me the trouble of introducing people. I do appreciate the temporal efficiency, Tenten." Hiashi gave her a brisk nod of approval and, barely moving from his stance, handed her a thick manila folder of files. "Your contract," he clarified, handing her an exquisite fountain pen with 'Hiashi Hyuga' engraved on it in cursive font. She gingerly held it in between the tips of her forefingers as he flipped open the folder and motioned towards the first signature line.

"Sign here." Tenten, having never _used_ such a pen before (they weren't exactly 'bodyguard' practical), clumsily scratched her signature onto the paper. Blinking, Hiashi wordlessly continued to point her to page after page until she'd somehow attained a degree in fountain pen artistry, then sniffed and slammed the folder shut. Neji was yawning from his seat by the time they'd finished. "Thank you, Tenten. You are officially an employee of Hyuga Industries. Work commences as soon as Neji's meeting ends; in the meantime, Ms Yamanaka will give you a brief tour of the building."

She tucked the manila folder beneath her armpit and followed the secretary out of the door. All in all, Tenten felt positively horrified, but any reservations she'd had about her new client were dissipated when the woman waved a cheque underneath her nose.

"For insurance," the blonde giggled, "We do this for all the new bodyguards. You'd be surprised how difficult your job can be, especially when you're a woman."

Tenten struck while the iron was hot, and graciously accepted her bribe. "Why is that?"

The secretary led Tenten into a sleek, communal area before setting up the coffee machine. She opened the fridge, pulled out a carton of slim milk and made a face. "You'll realise soon enough. A quick heads up: don't wear anything other than black pantsuits and shades with him in public. You'll be hard-pressed _not_ to punch the paparazzi if you don't."

Been there, done that. Guarding the rich and famous was more than a chore, especially when people actually _liked_ them. She'd never known how annoying it could be to stop someone from being mauled by crowds of rabid fangirls until Sasuke assigned her to Killer B a few years back. Needless to say, his retirement from the rapping industry came as a blessing to her.

"Not exactly a challenge," Tenten replied, suddenly grateful for the multitudes of business suits strewn all over her apartment, "Anything else?"

"I'm Ino Yamanaka," she finished pouring out the coffee into a grey mug and held out her hand, "Come to me if you need anything. If it's to cry or pig-out from stress, I know a place a few levels down." Ino gave her a playful wink, to which Tenten responded with a firm handshake and an uncertain grin.

"Come on," Ino led her out of the room and back to Hiashi's office, where Neji was closing the door behind him and simultaneously eyeing a new intern. Tenten sighed, parting ways with Ino as she followed her new boss into an office down the hall.

Do it for the money, Tenten. Do it for the money.

* * *

 **Monday, June 27. 11:00 AM**

 **From: tampon**

I have words for you, Tennie, and none of them are as pretty as I am. You owe me at least ten boxes of macarons for ditching your date last night.

* * *

 **Hyuga Industries**

 **June 27| 1101 UTC**

Tenten emerged from the women's bathroom, brows furrowed. Now was definitely not the time to concern herself over minute details like being _unjustly accused_ for something she didn't do, for once, so she switched the phone to vibrate and pocketed it. Heels inaudible against the marble flooring, Tenten hurried back to Neji's office, frown deepening when she noted his secretary's empty desk. She hadn't had the time to do a security check on Neji's personal staff yet, so any paranoia she had over potential security threats hadn't been quenched. This guy was going to be the death of her and her career, if he kept this up.

A knock on the door, and a twist on the handle led to a sight she'd naively hoped not to come across, ever. Even so, Tenten didn't bat an eyelash when they struggled to readjust their shirts. The brunette fixed a sharp glare on their intruder, to which Tenten replied, "Mr Hyuga, I'm sure you wouldn't mind that I perform a security check on your secretary. I'm afraid no employee is exempt from this precaution - for your own safety, of course."

The woman flushed, then shot a glare at Neji, who seemed remarkably amused by this turn of events. "Of course. Your professionalism is greatly appreciated."

"Who _are_ you?" She huffed, throwing a blazer over her shoulders.

"Close Protection Operator," Tenten said coldly. "May I check the contents of your bag, Miss?"

"Mrs," she corrected snootily. There was no response. "And yes, you may."

Tenten strode towards the table, politely extracted the handbag from her open hands and quickly turned the bag inside out before replacing its contents. All the while, as she was trained, her expression didn't budge from its mask of apathy. From the corner of her vision, she saw Neji watching their interaction with keen interest.

"You're clear," she thanked the secretary for her cooperation, and watched the woman shuffle out of the office with her head held high. Inwardly, Tenten sighed in relief. Her job was always significantly more difficult when people didn't want to cooperate, and seeing how Tenten was going to be around the secretary more often, she really didn't want to create enemies on her first day. "Thank you for your patience, Sir."

He dipped his chin solemnly before leaning back in his chair and observing her intently. "I've received word that the guest house has been prepared for you. You and the executive security team should be able to keep in close contact from now on."

Tenten kept her response to a minimum. "Yes, Sir."

He nodded, then rifled through his files nonchalantly. "So," she snapped back to attention, "Are we going to talk about it?"

"About?" Tenten feigned ignorance.

"Our first meeting. Wasn't it ironic?"

She avoided his sharp gaze. "The one person who has ever managed to place me in a compromising position is none other than the woman designated to protect me." Tenten winced, now that he was laying out her mind's torment before him. Neji seemed pleased by her reaction and shook his head smugly. "I admit, I am far from pleased that my Uncle has assigned me a new bodyguard, especially when I'd explicitly expressed a lack of need for one. However, considering last night, I am relieved. Welcome to the team."

Tenten didn't know what to make of his impromptu speech, nor his sudden and disorienting change in character, so she chose to give him a brief smile and a gentle, "Thank you, Sir."

"Neji," he held up a hand, "When it is just the two of us, call me Neji." At her conflicted look, he added, "Sir makes me feel old, which I am not. Clearly."

"Clearly," she allowed a small smirk to filter through her mask of indifference. Maybe this job wouldn't be so bad, after all.

* * *

 **MISSED CALLS (6)**

 **6:23 PM**

 **tampon (3)**

 **8:00 PM**

 **sakura (2)**

 **11: 45 PM**

 **tampon (1)**

* * *

 **Monday, June 27. 9:13 PM**

 **From: sakura**

Hey Tennie, you okay? Temari's blowing a fuse over here. Call soon, yeah?

* * *

 **Sign in to VidLeaf**

 **Username:** ten_ten

 **Password:** ********

* * *

 **Group call: saku_ha, temari_no_sabaku ?**

* * *

 **Hyuga Manor**

 **June 28| 0010 UTC**

"Hey guys," she rasped out, "Sorry I've been MIA lately."

Temari sniffled. "You'd better be. I haven't had my fill of macarons yet."

"Gross. Moving on," Sakura's beaming face peered up at Tenten through the monitor. "How's the new client going?"

Tenten silently turned the laptop around and showed them the interior of Hyuga Manor's guest house. They gasped immediately, and ordered her to move it around the area to get a closer look at the wine cabinets. "Better than I'd expected," she said, after finishing their house tour. "Hyuga Industries works insanely quickly. I had no idea they'd be able to clear out an entire house in less than thirty minutes. It was magical."

"You're so lucky," Sakura crooned. "Most businesses make you book expensive hotel rooms and expect you to trail after them like dogs."

"Don't I know that," Tenten walked the laptop over to the dinner table and resumed her late, late dinner. "The security arrangements are still crazy, though. I don't think I've had to memorise so many procedures in my life."

Another, deep, voice was calling Sakura from her little square box. Tenten winced when Sasuke's stern face appeared. "Hey, sir."

"Hey, yourself. Shouldn't you be asleep?"

Temari yawned. "We're catching up, after you so cruelly sent her to work at a diamond-cutting factory."

"Hardly," he snorted, then glared back up at Tenten. "One AM, no more. You hear?"

"Yes, sir."

There's a lull of silence, then-

"So, about your blind date."

"Bye." Tenten closed the lid. Without missing a beat, Temari's face appeared on her phone's screen.

"Hello?"

"Tenten," Temari said delicately, "Did you lie about being at the Tavern?"

"Nope. I was there. I have alibis!" She stuffed a forkful of steak into her mouth and started chewing, viciously. "And, you should know that Neji Hyuga can fully vouch for my presence."

The line was silent. "Neji? Hinata's right-hand man?"

"Yeah?" Tenten slowly drew out her words. "Wasn't he the one you'd set up? For me?"

"No? That was Gaara."

"Gaara." Tenten struggled to grasp for words. Snot-nosed Gaara from pre-school? "You tried setting me up with your brother?"

She hasn't seen him since they'd graduated from nose-picking toddlers to fighting ones, which was approximately twenty years ago.

"Tried," Temari remarked bitterly, "And failed."

Feeling mildly guilty, "I don't think that'd be a great idea, Temari. I mean, I'm busy, and-"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. No hard feelings." Her chipper tone sounded a little forced to Tenten, but she ignored it, grateful that Temari was veering away from the topic. "More importantly, Neji Hyuga? How did _that_ happen?"

She parroted the Date's events to Temari, making sure to exclude specific facts, like her baiting him towards the corner-booth woman, and then catching him in a _very_ mutual interaction with his secretary the day after. In the midst of her recount, Tenten struggled to process why he chose to be so kind to after she'd interrupted his... session. His reputation preceded him, regardless of who he was to her. Neji Hyuga was not known for tolerating rudeness easily.

"It could just be his reputation, you know," Tenten could hear a bubble of gum popping on the other end of the receiver, "Sometimes actions and words don't speak loudly enough about a person."

"That sounds plausible," she said diplomatically.

"Anyway," Temari perked up, "Since Neji's your boss, and all that entails, how about you meet someone new?" Tenten rolled her eyes as she carried her plate over to the sink and doused it in detergent. "For instance, someone influential? Looks a little like me, but with red hair and less striking features? To make up for leaving him at the altar?" Her friend doled out a barrage of questions in desperation.

"The barstool, you mean," she wiped the dish down and settled it on the rack.

Tenten wanted to say that her new timetable was too hectic to schedule in anything that exceeded the five-metre radius of a certain Hyuga, but kept her mouth shut when she decided to rationalise before she argued. There was no harm in making an effort, for once.

It wasn't as though she had never met Gaara before, either. At the very least, she knew that she could trust Gaara to be honourable and respectful, having been raised by the stern Rasa no Sabaku himself. There was no way that Gaara would be a jackass, unless he became a murdering psychopath with a thirst for blood. Overnight. It was impossible.

And, even as children, she and Gaara had never shared any bad blood. They were always the ones who silently, in knowing solidarity, observed Naruto and Sasuke's in-class spats from the seats together. The more Tenten dwelled on this particular topic, the more she found herself looking forward to clearing her schedule for a night and meeting him again. It helped that she _did_ , after all, owe Temari for being a pain in the ass for three straight years. "I'll think about it," she said, vaguely, "I mean it this time."

Her friend cackled in relief. " _Finally_."

She laughed. "So, what's he like now?"

"Is that interest I hear?" Tenten coughed. "He's running along the same lines as us, somewhat. Kankurou tells me his transferral to LPD is finishing off this month, so he's moving to Konoha to get settled in for the time being."

"A police officer, then." Tenten let out a low whistle, thoroughly impressed.

"A sergeant, actually," she iterated cheekily, "And he's only twenty-six."

"Colour me impressed. I'll get back to you about this, for sure."

"Looking forward to it," Temari yawned, "Alright, I've had enough of you. Laters."

"Night."

The line fizzled out, leaving Tenten to stand by at the sink pensively. She didn't want to be alone for the rest of her life, even if the demanding, fast-paced (and well-paying) nature of her job thrilled her to the core. There were still times when, if she lingered long enough for her brain to rationalise one deeply-concealed thought at a time, she wondered if being a shadow was _enough_. If being hidden, eternally working behind the flashing lights and the humdrum of society, would be fulfilling enough for her to dedicate her life to forever. It'd be nice, at the very least, to have someone who could understand her.

There was a sudden tapping sound at the door of the guest house. Tenten stared at it long enough to realise that it was _knocking_ and let out a deep breath. "Tenten." She heard a familiar voice call her from the other side, startling her into a frenzy of hair-tying and jumper-pulling - anything to fix her appearance. She bristled when the knocking grew more persistent.

Finally pulling on a pair of denim jeans, Tenten pulled the door open.

It was Neji, hand still positioned in mid-air, where the centre of the door used to be, eyes widened in alarm. He schooled his features into a softer expression and smiled.

"Hey, dinner?"

* * *

 **~ Daily Horoscope ~**

Never look a gift-horse in the mouth!


	10. Journey to the Centre - oh, boy

**AU:** Neji finds himself stranded in the centre of the Earth, and with no Wi-Fi to boot.

 **Pairings:** NejixTenten

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

Thank you to all of you beautiful human beings who left a review last chapter! Your feedback means the world to me, and don't worry - Bodyguard P3 is in the works.

* * *

It was a recipe for disaster, right from the very start.

No one in their right mind should have been comfortable with tunnelling deep into the earth's core, purely for money. Unfortunately, Neji, being the fool he was last week, hadn't foreseen that Sasuke's ridiculously expensive, adamantium steel driller would break down the moment they arrived at their destination. He should've known better than to accept one million dollars for this - ten would have been a more plausible option.

How many times did he have to accompany Sasuke on his ridiculous, Verne-inspired shenanigans before he learned _not_ to?

Neji grabbed a blaster from his trunk and strapped the handle onto his armoured chest. At the very least, if there _were_ any malicious life forms at the centre of the earth, he'd be able to defend himself.

Sasuke's announcement for departure blared through the speakers. "Report to the opening hatch in five."

Neji arrived there in two, because his room was closest to the door, and greeted Sasuke with a firm nod. "Is everyone coming?"

"Of course," the Uchiha replied assertively, "This is a monumental occasion."

They were all nearing their thirties, all graduated and tired from labouring through the workforce's ranks. Sasuke was an army general with a knack for spotting what others could not, Naruto was a Lieutenant who always found an occasion to insert his voice and opinion into other people's business, and frankly Neji blamed Naruto for their predicament. If the blonde hadn't encouraged Hinata for join him, and thereby Neji as a chaperone, they wouldn't be in this mess and he would be lounging in his office with a _wi-fi_ connection. Then there was Ino and Sakura, the medics of the team, and Choji, Shikamaru and Kiba and Shino and _Lee_ of all people, and this driller was too small for the lot of them but who was he to judge?

Neji was in this for the money. The point is, he felt none of Sasuke's sentiment when the man led them out of the driller and into the shockingly leafy, ginormous forests around them. Neji stuck close to Hinata, grateful for Naruto's presence on the other side, because all of this greenery and the sweltering hotness of the climate was making him nauseous.

"Up ahead," he heard the flash of a camera - Shino's - and Sakura's voice whisper out to them from the front of the line. "There's-there's _water_." And she was right.

There was a thundering waterfall not far from their current location, and as Neji edged closer towards the sound, he saw a mountainous body of white water streaming down from the edge of a cliff, forming droplets of colour wherever the sun hit it.

Wait, Sun?

Neji looked up, covered part of his face with his hands and confirmed his earlier assumption. There was a sun, suspended kilometres above him and contrasting brilliantly against the canopy of trees on the other side of the earth's core. He felt like he was dreaming, which only made his paranoia worse, because this _wasn't_ a dream and the entire crew was stuck in this weird nature-world for an indefinite amount of time.

The others didn't seem to share his sentiment. They whooped and cheered and rushed towards the pool of water at the foot of the fall and splashed their faces with it.

"It's warm!" They shouted, flailing their arms about for Neji to join in. He didn't want to, so he shook his head and resumed patrol around the perimeter of the area. Peaceful though this forest seemed to be, they were still in unchartered territory and things could go south (or was it north?) in a split second. Sasuke caught on to Neji's mindset and, with a quick nod, moved to patrol the other side of the pool. Neji then deemed it safe to venture into the growth to prod for any food that could sustain them. If there was anything here that they could eat until Sasuke figured out something for the machine, he would gladly search for it. That was, he would have been if he didn't feel the prick of a needle-sharp object sink into his upper bicep seconds later.

Neji sank to the ground, unseen and unheard.

* * *

He awoke, some time later, in a pleasantly-lit room filled with the soft sound of humming lights and chattering voices. _Ah, back in the driller_. He closed his eyes, surmising that Naruto had probably pranked him with a dart while he wasn't looking, but shot them open again when he realised Naruto's aim was horrendous. There was no way on earth that he could've pulled off such a feat, so that meant Neji was kidnapped. A cruel line of reasoning, but his assumptions were yet again confirmed when he took in his surroundings.

He was in a cell, most likely, if the barred door and metal bed-table were any indication. Neji sat up and immediately rushed to the rectangular hole in the door.

The outside was horrifying.

He was met with the sight of beasts crawling around a (surprisingly) sleek lobby area, led by the leash by groups of strangely- _human_ creatures who were dressed in thin garments that flowed with every footsteps. The logical side of his brain went haywire. He knew, somewhat, that there would be life in the centre of the earth, because there were trees and water and a _Sun_ and so obviously there would at least be some insects or aquatic creatures, but this - this was insane. An entire civilisation, thriving and functioning beneath the hustle and bustle of everything Neji was familiar with.

Someone caught sight of him and tilted her (Was this creature really a 'her'? Or, was Neji just labelling genders now? He didn't really know what to think) head to the side inquisitively. Neji darted away from the hole and patted down his body for any defence mechanisms. Whoever had brought him here in the first place had taken away his weaponry and armour. Neji was trapped inside a cell with a simple pair of cargo pants and a t-shirt. _In the bloody centre of the earth_. He'd repeated that phrase in his head enough times for reality to finally kick in, and he really, really, hated reality at the moment.

There was a knock at the door, and a click of the latch, and all of a sudden Neji found himself face to face with the woman from earlier. His breathed hitched in his throat.

She was beautiful, for a strange creature, had tanned, glowing skin, and radiant brown hair that glimmered with gold under the light of the room. The woman continued to stare at him with her large, brown eyes. He held her gaze, mesmerised, until she turned around to the lobby area and let out a piercing shriek.

Neji flinched, stumbled back to his bed-table and grasped around for anything that could serve as a weapon. She strode towards him calmly, with the trained elegance of a fighter, and withdrew an obsidian black blade from the folds of her colourful skirts.

"Stop!" He shouted, hands placed before his chest in a panicked, placating gesture. She did, and adopted the curious stare from before.

"S-Stop?" Neji froze when she put away the blade and leaned towards him eagerly. "English?"

What?

Neji nodded quickly when she asked her question again. "Yes, yes. English. I speak English."

She gasped in delight. "Oh, thank goodness. I was going to explode from all the shrieking they do around here. Sorry about the knife, I was under orders to kill you if you were a threat, but you'll be fine now. You must be from the surface world! I recognised the Calvin Klein shirt. Classic design. Man, it's been a while since I went back up there. Anyway, what's your name? I'm Tenten."

Tenten quickly realised that Neji was close to fainting, then paced herself. "Hey, are you okay?"

He shook his head several times before settling himself back down to the table. The creature wasn't a creature. She was human. From the surface. She knew what brands were. Her name was _Tenten_.

Kami, he really shouldn't have strayed from the group.


	11. Tenten's Guide to Bodyguard-Dating P3

**Tumblr Prompt:** Tenten is Neji's bodyguard.

 **Pairings** **:** NejiTen, GaaTen

 **AN:** Because I'm back to procrastinating, and this may possibly be my last update before I go AFK and study for a whole week. Thank you, keroRiBBIT, imjustanotheroneofthem, fanofthisfiction, Nairil, Reiyaame (and all of you lovely followers and favouriters)!

 **Disclaimer:** I have no idea what it's like to be a CEO, or a co-CEO (if those exist), or a bodyguard, so most of the story is based on what I've googled. You can also view Tenten's dress on my tumblr (shameless advertising: 'misspandalily'; it's the ralph russo one), and I don't own Naruto!

* * *

 **Hyuga Manor**

 **June 28 | 0145 UTC**

"Thank you, Mr Hy-Neji," she corrected herself at his pointed look, "But the timing is quite...inopportune." Tenten countered her rejection with a polite smile, then noted his rumpled appearance, the loosened tie hanging around his shoulders, the creased white shirt, and frowned. She'd dropped him off in the Manor's garage _hours_ ago, and as far as she was concerned he'd finished his dinner with the Hyuga family at ten. "Did you go somewhere?"

And without her protection? Was he asking for a death wish?

Neji nodded. "I was at The Tavern with the woman from yesterday. Don't worry," he said honestly, holding up a hand when her face betrayed a hint of frustration, "She was harmless."

Tenten immediately felt the urge to slam the door in his face and thump her forehead against the wall over and over again. It was verging on two in the morning, she had a meeting with the executive team in three hours, and here was her boss being an idiot, a total _imbecile._ It was pure luck that Neji hadn't directed himself to the nearest social precipice already, him being a bodyguard's nightmare.

As much as Tenten hated to admit it, 90% of a bodyguard's life consisted of waiting around patiently for their principal to finalise their "meetings", illicit affairs or not. On some rare occasions, people in her field were blessed with the grace of Kami and designated more...honourable clients, but unfortunately, Tenten had managed to draw the short end of the stick.

She watched Neji hum contemplatively, hands digging into his pockets as he tilted his head to the side. His eyes flickered to her thick jumper and denim jeans before he nodded once again. "I'll be going now." Neji turned on his heel and strode away. Tenten gawked and ran out. He glanced back when he heard her footsteps patter behind him, eyebrow raised.

"Allow me to walk you back to the Manor, Neji," she quickly shut the door behind her. Seeing the glint in his eyes, she elaborated, "The main house is at least ten minutes away; anything could happen."

Neji, who had been smirking at her in amusement seconds beforehand, suddenly removed his hands from his pockets and gave her a grim smile. "That will not be necessary," he said firmly.

"I insist," Tenten pressed, unsure of his sudden change in tone. "Your security-"

"Will be fine within Hyuga Manor's walls, I assure you," he straightened his posture when her eyes hardened, "Nothing can penetrate this mansion." She stared at him curiously, but didn't voice her speculations. She wasn't meant to, and neither was she entitled to care for his personal reasons, but so far Neji had been reasonably compliant with her security protocols. He didn't even bat an eyelash or reprimand her when she interrupted their rendezvous, so why would he change his attitude now? Tenten furrowed her brows when he unflinchingly returned her gaze with a cold glare. "I will be fine," Neji repeated, voice adopting a sharp edge.

Clearly, she wasn't going to be given another explanation, so Tenten backed down and filed away this information for later. "As you wish," she said through gritted teeth. He nodded stiffly.

"Thank you."

* * *

 **Tuesday, June 28. 6:30 AM**

 **From: HN secretary**

 **To: tenten**

 **Re: 28 June itinerary**

1000 - Board Meeting - Room 400

1330 - Meeting with Hinata Hyuga - Room 365

1500 - Fitting - Room 360

2030 - Dinner with Naruto Uzumaki - The Grand Leaf Hotel

* * *

 **Hyuga Industries, Level 36**

 **June 28 | 0930 UTC**

Hours later, Tenten's morning was filled with half-assed driving towards Hyuga Industries in Neji's company-owned Jaguar, then ushering him into the building as quickly as possible before the hoards of admirers (read: despisers) camped in front of the office building could notice him, and then running up to level 40 to ensure that the allotted meeting room was free of bugs and suspicious materials. She was pretty sure that Hiashi was giving her his version of a thumbs-up, which was a blink if she was perfectly honest, when he saw her combing through Room 400 with hawk-eyes.

"So," Tenten leaned against Ino's desk while sipping a cup of coffee. Neji was uncharacteristically cooped up in his office for the time being, so Tenten decided to take this opportunity to eat the breakfast that'd been calling for her since four AM. Plus, Shikamaru had everything else under control for the time being. "What's this fitting I'm hearing about from the staff?"

(Right, so Tenten met the Team this morning. As it turned out, they were just as frazzled by Neji's onslaught of hook-ups as she was, and they've all been there for _years_ now. Shikamaru was the Team Leader, because apparently he had an IQ of over 200 but failed his high-school exams because he was too _lazy_ and ended up making use of his skills elsewhere, and as the newcomer, Tenten was introduced to a tattoo-faced Kiba and a bulky guy named Choji. They were all crazy nice, so now she had something other than a paycheck to look forward to for this job.)

Ino tapped down on the 'enter' button and looked up, chin resting in the dip of her folded hands. "Ah, yes. The Fitting."

"What fitting?" she reiterated.

"Bodyguards here don't always get special treatment, you know. In my opinion," Ino leaned in and whispered, "It's because you all work with Neji, and we all know that Hiashi shows his love for Neji through his wallet."

Tenten blinked before biting into a bread-roll. "I genuinely have no idea what you're insinuating."

Ino tut-tutted. "You're familiar with Kevlar." Tenten nodded, still confused. "The Boss fits everyone on Neji's security team with Kevlar suits, all tailored to perfection and custom designed by top-notch brands. I know, it's ridiculous, but money talks."

"And here I thought he was buying yet another suit for an event." Tenten shook her head ruefully and downed the rest of her coffee. She heard Shikamaru's drawl filter through her earpiece, lightly informing her of the Board members' arrival. "I'm off, take care!" Ino sent her a small finger wave and continued typing away at the keyboard and answering phone calls with a chipper tone.

Tenten ventured over to the secretary's desk and gave her a small nod in greeting - which was returned cordially, thank Kami - before knocking on Neji's office door. "Enter."

"Morning, Sir." She was greeted by the divine sight of Neji sitting alone at his desk and scrawling down words onto sheets of paper. He glanced up at her greeting and set his (ballpoint!) pen down on the table.

"Tenten."

"The Board members are beginning to arrive. Would you like to prepare for the meeting?"

She stood in front of his desk with her hands clasped together in front of her, silently observing him flit his cursive writing along the page in fluid precision. After a few minutes, he released the pen and exhaled, then placed the sheet on top of a manila folder. His jaw was set. "Yes, let's go."

They made their way to the elevator, Tenten one step behind him as he tucked the papers underneath his armpit and held the metal doors open for her. A brief smile, a press of the button four numbers above theirs, and the lift was playing a strange tune she hadn't noticed on her first day on the job. Like a strange, jazzy sound mixed with a twenty-first century beat. Her ears were struggling to keep up with the odd combination.

"I'd like to apologise for my conduct early this morning." She heard Neji's baritone voice speak up quietly and turned her head towards him. His words were a surprise, to say the least; she hadn't been expecting an apology at all. Staying silent and ever-concerned for her clients' welfare was her _thing_. This 'thing' didn't need impeccable politeness when the safety of the client was highest on her priority list. He hesitated when she thanked him graciously. "Despite what may have been your initial impression of me, you can rest assured that I see you as a professional."

The elevator stopped at level 39 before she could let his last words sink in. She immediately shielded her eyes with sunglasses and stepped behind him when the Hyuga sisters stepped in.

"Neji," Hinata greeted him warmly, "Are you prepared for our first Board meeting?"

Tenten pretended to be pre-occupied with her phone as he looked back at her, as he faced his cousin and her friend again to carry on the conversation, and continued to shadow him to the outside of his meeting room. She was used to this, being disregarded. While the men in her line of work stood out from the crowd with their burly statures and muscular figures, she was known for blending into the crowds and the walls of a building like a chameleon. Evidently, it worked, because her friend of seven years hadn't even recognised her.

Hearing feedback was one thing, and seeing the truth at face-value was another. Tenten wasn't sure which one she preferred.

* * *

 **Hyuga Industries, Level 36**

 **June 28 | 1555 UTC**

They'd only been at this fitting for a little less than an hour, and Tenten was already starting to bounce on the balls of her feet impatiently. She had work to get to, a businessman to protect, food to eat! Neji's dinner meeting was tonight, and she had to feed herself before she was doomed to eating minimal food at the table a seats away and scanning his surroundings like a hyper-active computer. The designer tsked at her and slapped the side of her leg lightly.

"Be still, hun, this fitting is nearly complete." She took a deep breath and smiled down at Deidara as he flicked his hair to the side and inserted a sewing pin into her waistline. "Your figure is amazing, by the way, very muscular."

And Tenten would be creeped out by that statement, if he wasn't saying it so scientifically. She almost felt like a specimen under his gaze, like a lump of clay set on the pottery block for molding.

"How many suits did we need to go through again?"

"Hun," he sent her a look that wasn't unkind, "Only this one, and we'll make copies of it." She sighed in relief. "It's the dresses you'll have to worry about. Those take time." Nope, never mind.

If she was being truly introspective, Tenten would admit to herself that she hated this fitting because women who join the army for a few years before diverging into bodyguard work just weren't accustomed to being pampered. She was the kind of girl who'd spent years of her life training with Gai and Lee and accumulating a wealth of bruises that she wore on her skin like battle scars and badges. That lifestyle didn't need anything other than a simple shirt and sweatpants, and maybe the occasional dress for formal functions. The thing was, her hair hadn't been let down and styled in years, and neither had her fingernails and _toenails_ been buffed and shined to perfection, ever. And while she knew that the vast array of clothes propped up before her were _pretty_ (especially that dramatic navy blue one), she didn't know how to react to them.

Deidara caught her eye and clapped in delight. "That was my next choice." He seized the dress, pushed her off the square fitting-platform and ushered her into the portable changing room a few metres away. She stumbled into it, somewhat disoriented by his speed and peeled off her clothes.

"Ah, Neji! Welcome!" Tenten froze, then hurriedly hung up the suit and pulled the dress over her shoulders.

"I heard there was a fitting," he replied casually.

"Well, yes. Obviously, hun." They chattered about as Deidara proceeded to pull out clothes for Neji to wear. Tenten allowed herself to relax with the knowledge that Deidara would wait until she was done before urging Neji to change. So she slowly turned around to face herself in the mirror, somewhat nervous about what she would find when she saw herself.

"Red really isn't your colour, Neji."

"Thank you."

She gaped at her reflection, willing the illusion to disappear. The dress itself was nice, with long, see-through sleeves tinged in a beautiful dark blue. In fact, the entire thing was blue, and it made her naturally-tanned skin look lighter than usual. Her shoulders naturally straightened themselves and the heels that Deidara had strapped onto her feet gave her an extra height boost that made the floor-length gown sway at her feet gently. _She_ looked nice, which was the main reason why her mouth was hanging open in disbelief.

Tenten didn't hear the voices come closer until the curtain was roughly yanked aside and Deidara screamed in joy. She jumped, tripping on the hem slightly and knocking her elbows around before finding herself toppling down...and into Neji's chest.

"You look _gorgeous,_ " he fanned himself with a smug grin, "And in my finest design yet."

She felt Neji gently push her off his - incredibly solid, why are her cheeks heating up, oh no - chest and help her resettle herself into a comfortable standing position. He met her crinkling eyes with his own; she looked away instantly and tried to focus on Deidara's exclamations. Because that emotion shining through was sending chills down her spine, and seeing how he'd only been her client for a grand total of two days, she really needed him to stop it. Tenten quietly thanked him when the designer started pulling the curtain back, ordering her to change out so he could gift it to her, or something.

The rest of the fitting was a blur, and half an hour later, when Tenten was occupying herself with trying to look occupied on a seat in room 360, and finally looked up from her list of things to do, he was still shooting her funny looks with his pale grey eyes.

Oh, boy.

* * *

 **Tuesday, June 28. 5:30 PM**

 **from: UNKNOWN NUMBER**

This is Neji.

 **Add 'Neji' to contacts?**

 **\- YES**

 **Neji is added to your contacts.**

* * *

 **The Grand Leaf Hotel**

 **June 28 | 2000 UTC**

She wore her trusty, high-collared black dress to the dinner.

Its skirt was voluminous enough to conceal the gun strapped to her right thigh and the sheathed knife tied to her left, and still managed to make her waist look superb, so it was a win-win situation for her all round. Her comfiest pair of pumps were enclosed around her feet, and she'd decided to let her hair tumble down for the night to cover her earpiece.

And Shikamaru seemed to approve of the outfit too, judging by the nonchalant shrug of his shoulder as she got into the car. They arrived half an hour before the allotted time, during which period Shikamaru told her and Kiba to stay in the car with Neji until he'd finished checking through the building with Naruto's bodyguards and ensuring that there weren't any suspicious devices and/or people lying around.

It was mostly silent, save for her and Kiba's brief, clipped words to each other about the organisation of Neji's security while he was dining. This was Tenten's zone, and she took comfort in the straight-forward world of protocol, where nothing was confusing to her, not even the fact that Neji's eyes were burning holes into the back of her head for no particular reason.

"Alright," Shikamaru's drawl filtered through their comms, "Clear."

Tenten gave Kiba a quick farewell before emerging from the passenger seat with her shades covering her eyes. She strode to Neji's door, checking that Shikamaru was standing at the entrance of the hotel, and pulled it open. "Sir."

Neji stepped out of the car and allowed her to close the door behind him. He touched her shoulder gently. "Thank you."

She thought nothing of it, and she wasn't supposed to in public, striding behind her boss like a loyal guard and ensuring that no one ventured within a two-metre radius of Neji unless they were Shikamaru. They split off when Naruto stood up from his table, calling out to Neji loudly and prompting the Hyuga to slap on a smile and greet him with a handshake. They were collaborating with Naruto's two CPOs, deciding to surround the two businessmen in a compass formation as they dined and discussed. She found herself seated at a table not far from Neji, in comparison to the distance with which the other guards were situated from their principals.

Dutifully, Tenten kept her uncovered eyes peeled on their surroundings and her ears trained on the words coming from her earpiece. The waiter came by with a menu, so she ordered a small plate of pasta, having inhaled a steak (or two) hours beforehand, then propped her chin up in her hands as she subtly angled a look at Neji.

Tenten froze. He was staring directly at her while Naruto perused the menu, head turned unabashedly. How was she supposed to deal with _that_? No one covered this in her training program.

She was saved by the arrival of her waiter. "Thank you," Tenten smiled politely, then waited for him to walk away. She brought her hand up to her ear and hissed, "Have you done a check on the food?"

"Affirmative," was Shikamaru's monotonous reply. "Why is he staring at you?"

"Beats me," she shrugged, making eye contact with her leader from across the room. His eyes glinted at her suspiciously.

Naruto suddenly burst out laughing, a raucous sound that made her jolt in her seat.

"Hm."

Meanwhile, Neji went through the motions of a business deal, thankfully with Naruto being amenable to Neji's requests as he consumed a shocking amount of ramen. It wasn't until Tenten was starting to wander _why_ a swanky restaurant in the wealthier end of town had a ramen dish when there was an unexpectedly new presence at her table. Tenten's head shot up.

"May I join you?"

"Gaara no Sabaku," she exclaimed softly, at a loud enough volume for Shikamaru to catch her message and start typing into his laptop. As a golden rule, any newcomers to the destination of their client's location was to have their entire history searched on the spot. Gaara didn't seem to notice this at all, and smiled at her.

"I'm surprised you still remember me, Tenten."

Seeing Gaara looking dapper in a fitted suit and with his bright red hair jutting out at all corners, greeting her kindly whilst she was on the Job, was not how Tenten had envisioned her reunion with the Sabaku man would go. But she had a cover to keep intact, so she sent Shikamaru a slight, two-second glance, to which he inclined his head, and welcomed Gaara into the adjacent seat.

"It'd be hard to forget you," she saw his eyes widen at the statement, "Because Temari never stops talking about you. That's why." Tenten amended, cringing. Neji was frowning at her table from the corner of her peripheral vision. "What brings you here?"

Gaara shifted in his seat. "Work." She recalled Temari telling her that he was in the police force, and tilted her head at him curiously.

"I have a function here for tonight. You?"

"Oh. Work," she parroted his words with a grin. "I hear you're relocating to Konoha."

"You heard correctly. I should be finished with it in a week or so." His eyes fell on her earpiece, which shouldn't surprise her, given that he's been in the field for as long as she has, and then flickered with recognition. "You seem busy."

"Correct," she affirmed gently. Gaara nodded in understanding as he moved to rise from the seat.

"I'll leave you to it. It was nice seeing you again."

"Likewise," she rose, subconsciously thrusting out a hand for him to shake. She would've, under any circumstance that didn't apply to a formal environment, cringed from the stiffness of her actions, but didn't because Gaara was doing the exact same thing. "That was subconscious," Tenten grinned when he closed the distance between their palms.

"Same." Gaara responded with a light smile and withdrew his hand respectfully. "I'll see you around, Tenten."

Tenten watched him walk away, past Shikamaru's barely concealed skepticism, and into another dining hall, then lowered herself onto her chair when she realised that her heart was beating rapidly in her chest.

Now, Tenten had seen her fair share of romcoms over the years - high school had come before the military, after all - but she didn't _really_ understand the appeal of a smouldering Male Species until two minutes ago. If this was what it felt like to swoon, Tenten didn't know what else to expect in the future.

As someone who always planned ahead and stuck to a rigid schedule like it was her lifeline, the thought of unexplored territory was both thrilling and terrifying.

Tenten shook her head and cleared all thoughts of romance from her mind. She had a livelihood to protect; there was no excuse for slacking off when Neji's life could be at stake. Without much further ado, she stabbed the last of her pasta and stuffed it in her mouth before refocusing on the mission at hand. Neji and Naruto seemed to be approaching the tail end of their conversation, so she signalled for the waiter to give her the bill and strode to the front desk for payment. Shikamaru followed her, expression a cross between amusement and slight concern. He joined her, handing the receptionist a few notes.

"Sergeant Gaara no Sabaku, famed policeman from the Suna Department? Who knew."

Tenten gave him a tight smile and directed her gaze to Neji and Naruto. "He'll be helpful in the future," she asserted, fixing her glasses on her eyes again. "That's all there is to it."

"I'm sure." He pressed his finger to his earpiece and called Kiba to drive up to the front of the hotel. She could hear the man's muffled, enthusiastic reply from the other end.

Neji branched away from Naruto moments later, allowing the blonde to talk to an old, white-haired man by the name of Jiraiya after their meeting was finalised. Tenten and Shikamaru stood by the door at attention, faces carefully set on a blank slate. He stiffly greeted them, eyes refusing to make the same contact with hers as they had been doing all of dinner, and pushed the glass doors open.

If Shikamaru noticed any of that, which he probably had, he didn't comment on it. The only one who did was Kiba, who quirked an eyebrow at Tenten when Neji crawled into the backseat quietly.

* * *

"He hasn't done that in a while," Kiba told her over the meeting room table early the next day. "Gone home without a hooker, I mean."

She shrugged, nursing a warm cup of coffee in her hands. "So, what?"

He looked away. "Interesting."

* * *

 **~ Daily Horoscope ~**

All that glitters is not gold


	12. love thy neighbour

**AU: assassin school (somewhat)**

 **Pairings:** NejixTenten

 **A/N:** Thank you, FruitySmell, Guest, Giada Luna, keroRiBBIT, chibinejiten, imjustanotheroneofthem, fanofthisfiction and Tabine for leaving such kind reviews last chapter. Worry not, Bodyguard will be returning, but it is still a work in progress.

* * *

He's thrown into the centre of the sparring pit at exactly midnight, precisely 2 years after she first encounters him on a solo training mission. The sight of him, trembling and so unlike the confident boy she'd known years ago, makes her skin crawl.

Morino's watching him from the sidelines, scar-streaked face betraying no emotion, no flicker of pity for the newest addition to their group.

Tenten doesn't sympathise with the boy with pale lilac eyes either. They're all orphans, children whose identities are defined by a maximum of three syllables. They exist without an inkling of who their families are, who their loved ones were, or what their first word was.

They're all children raised to fight, raised to maim and injure without a second thought. They're the perfect soldiers; ruthless killing machines who don't yet see or fully comprehend the consequences of their actions.

After all, they belong to no one but the man who trains them to cut down their opponents' weaknesses and execute clean strikes through the eye for the perfect assassination.

Only, this new one is different to everyone else. He's almost definitely lost the memories of his former life, just like the rest of them. But the fact that Tenten knows - _knew_ \- him makes all the difference in the world.

His name is Neji Hyuga.

Clearly he doesn't remember that - he shouldn't - because he slowly blinks and stares at the crowd of blank faces surrounding him.

How old is he now? Tenten is assaulted with the vivid memory of him covering her shivering form with a jacket. Seventeen, most likely. Her age. She'd managed to get her hands on her personal files just last year, when Morino promoted her to a senior position.

March is her favourite month of the year.

Morino commands Neji to stand up on his two feet, finally stepping out of the shadows and looming ominously over the disoriented boy.

As Neji stands up, his eyes flicker to her cold brown ones and linger for a few seconds. The slight glimmer of veiled comprehension nearly frightens her.

He must not recall who she is, or everything she's been fighting for will be lost.

If Morino had seen the brief exchange, he said nothing of it. The man reaches for his pocket and pulls out his trademark, steel grey tablet.

"Your name is Tori. You will sleep in room 037." With that, he scrawls down the new details onto his device and walks out of the room.

The rest of the children edge towards Neji curiously, but back away when Tenten's steel-toed boots clack against the flooring towards him. Neji's grown taller, she realises, and is now standing a head above her distinctive twin buns.

"Follow me," she barks out harshly. He seems to recognise her as the authority, and follows silently. They stride through the industrial-grade corridors, with her stiffly directing him through the labyrinth of bathrooms, dining rooms, training rooms and bedroom quarters that is their Headquarters before leading him to the room adjacent to hers - 037.

"This is where you will sleep." Tenten finishes off in a slightly gentler tone. "Training starts at 6 in the morning, with a one hour lunch break at noon."

Neji wordlessly nods and opens the door to his room when she gives him a nod of approval. There's another boy inside. His roommate, Lee. The troublemaker. She wonders how this arrangement will work out, when Morino is usually so pedantic about keeping troublemakers solitary and newcomers with model "students".

The door closes behind Neji when Lee doles out his customary greeting and introduction as The Green Beast. Tenten's eyes narrow at the door before she retires to her own quarters for the night.

It's been a long day.


	13. drabble: sasuke's not-friends

**AU:** Originally meant to be Monopoly night at the Uchiha Compound, but it turned into an unfinished drabble instead because I have no idea where to take it.

 **Pairings:** SasuSaku

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. If I did, I'd be filthy rich.

 **AN:** Thank you, Tabine, Giada-Luna and fanofthisfiction for your lovely reviews

* * *

"You're a rich bastard."

Naruto pads across the threshold of the Uchiha Compound with a half-scowl on his face. Sasuke matches his scowl with a glare.

"Get away from my tapestries, you canine idiot."

Naruto howls when the tip of Kusanagi makes contact with the base of his throat. "I was _kidding_. Yeesh, take a chill pill."

"Hn." Sasuke sniffs and shuts the door behind him. "What are you doing."

Naruto promptly drops the ornate jade dragon lining the compound's entrance and feigns nonchalance. "Just... looking." Sasuke fixes another blank stare on his face. "You need to get laid, you ass-wipe."

Sasuke walks into the living room with a scoff.

"What do you do here, anyway?" Naruto trots after him, removing the orange and black tracksuit jacket from his shoulders as he takes in the dusty state of Sasuke's home. "Ew."

"That's rich, coming from you." Sasuke snorts before pulling a large, brown crate away from the wall.

"Hey!" Naruto shouts indignantly, "I've-Hinata's been cleaning! My house is as shiny as Bushy-Brows' teeth!"

Sasuke shudders when he recalls meeting Lee again, after years of renegading through the ninja world: much like their first meeting, only with shinier...everything.

"Mention him again and I'll slice you."

"Hey Lee, what's up?"

Sasuke stiffens, immediately swivels around, and sees none other than Rock Lee standing at his doorway with an exalted expression on his face. "Yosh! I have arrived! I must thank you for the youthful invitation, Naruto!"

Naruto ignores the death-inducing glare that Sasuke sends him in favour of welcoming Lee into the Compound. "Damn right! Make yourself at home."

Sasuke rigidly gets up, ignores Lee's boisterous greeting, and strides into the kitchen. He hates having Lee anywhere within a fifty-kilometre radius of his personal bubble, much less in his home. He frowns. This is all the idiot's idea, for sure. Sasuke should've known better than to permit a "men's night" in his home.

He sighs, squeezing the bridge of his nose, and exhales. Only one night. Only Lee and Naruto to handle, no big deal. He fills up his only clean glass with water and walks back to the living room. "What."

"Neji, I command you to join me in a youthful re-match!"

"You'll have to pay me."

"Neji," Tenten shakes her head dejectedly, "You don't just _say_ that. It's meant to go: "Two million or nothing." Kami, and here I thought you were getting the hang of it."

Sasuke gapes at the crowd in his house. "Naruto."

The blonde appears at his side immediately. "Yeah."

"I leave for less than two minutes, and now the entire population of Konoha is in my living room." He looks at his not-best friend sharply. "You have ten seconds left."

"Relax," Naruto grins, excitement unimpeded by his implicit death threat. "It's only the Rookie Nine... and Team Gai. And Sai. And you," he adds thoughtfully.

Sasuke seethes, but his anger is shortlived because there's a new knock at the door. He pushes Naruto the side, uncharacteristically displaying his temperament, and charges towards the door furiously. "The house is-Sakura."

She looks taken aback by his greeting. "Uh-hi. Naruto called? Said there was a game night here." There's a beat of silence. "I can go, if you're busy, though."

He instantly holds her back by the wrist and cringes when she looks like she's about to have a heart attack. "No, stay. _Please_."

Sasuke can't stress how much he needs Sakura to form a wall between him and the others, but his plea seems to do the trick because she smiles brightly, green eyes lighting up as she steps into his house. And, if he's being frank, she's the only presence he _doesn't_ mind having around when Naruto's drunk off his ass.

"Teme! Is this your _porn stash_?"


	14. you are my evenstar

**AU:** Lord of the Rings, Tenten-centric

 **Pairings:** NejixTenten

 **AN:** I don't own Naruto, or LOTR, or that franchise, but I do love them all equally. As a warning, there is an fair amount of imagery, personification and symbolism. Not sure how that ended up, or where I'm going to take this, because I honestly don't know myself. :)

* * *

She dances under the stars at twilight, nimble-footed with her hair flying behind her as the rest of her team slumbers. The silver bows in her ivory quiver remain strapped to her back as she moves, feet rustling through the grass shoots underneath.

The Eldar rise with starlight glistening over them and pouring blessed life into their immortal souls. It is their sun, their spirit, their symbol of joy.

She relishes the night like her companions treasure the dawn.

Her legs cease their movement when she hears the crack of a twig in the background. She whips out her bow a split second later and fires the arrow into the trees. It is caught, by a gloved hand.

"Tenten," the white-haired ranger coughs awkwardly, "it's me."

Retracting her weapons and retrieving the stray arrow from the man, she lets out a slight laugh. And then he keeps talking.

"We're detouring into Rivendell." Kakashi watches her initial shock melt down into apathy. "I've received a message from Lord Hiashi requesting aid."

Her jaw tightens marginally. "We're running out of time as it is. Gaara-"

"Gaara will receive medical attention as soon as we arrive. I've made sure of that." He sighs. "I'm afraid this is a matter we can't avoid any longer."

Her arrow is inserted back into the quiver as she gives him a quick nod. "Then we will do as he commands."

Kakashi leads the way back to the clearing of their campsite, careful not to rouse the hobbits sleeping around the extinguished fire. She wordlessly settles down beside Temari, who's still awake and tending to her younger brother with a frown knotting her forehead.

"His fever has gone down, but not by much." The female hobbit tiredly wipes her dust-ridden forehead with her sleeves. The dirt smudges where sweat is pooling at her sandy-blonde bangs. "If only Uncle Baki had never shown him The Ring."

Tenten places a hand on Temari's shoulder comfortingly, unsure of how to address the Ring at hand. "We've set a course for Rivendell. He'll be treated by the High Elves in a matter of hours."

The hobbit's head bobs up, revealing fatigued, red-rimmed eyes that are shining with renewed interest. "What's Rivendell?"

"An elven realm," Tenten reaches for Temari's sword (a knife, at best, to Tenten, but a sword in the hands of her hobbit friends), "One ruled by the Hyuga family for centuries, now. They're reputed to be highly civilised and sophisticated." She examines the small blade, careful not to cut herself on it's sharp edge. "They may be able to identify the name of your sword, if you wish it."

"Name?" The woman looks confused. "Oh. I didn't know weapons had names."

"They do," Tenten nods, "They all do."

Kakashi's uncovered eye closes. They lapse into silence until Temari covers herself with a blanket and looks up at Tenten again.

"Are you from Rivendell?"

"No."

"Then," her voice becomes croaky, Tenten closes her eyes and senses the burning curiousity pulling at Temari's lips. The next question is expected. "Where?"

"Mirkwood." The name brings a downward tug to the corner of her lips. There had been a time, millennia ago, when she was able to call her home Greenwood. But now...

She fears the destruction that the return of a Dark Age will bring to Middle Earth, the ruin that will once again be unleashed upon her Silvan kin should they not accomplish their task. The fate of the world's existence lies in the hands of three little hobbit siblings, one of whom - the one most resistant to The Ring - is lying pale-faced and on the brink of death. Tenten exhales. "Sleep, Temari. You'll need the energy for when we leave in a few hours."

And when the sun breaks free from the horizon line, she feels the starlight fading away until she is cold and hardened once more.

* * *

They emerge from the forest on horseback, with Kakashi at the front to lead the way, and Tenten at the back of the trail with Gaara slumped against her chest, breathing heavily. A thunderous pace is maintained, even though the wind nips at the sickly hobbit's cheeks and makes him groan nauseatingly. If they do not arrive at Rivendell soon, any chances of Gaara's survival will be severely diminished.

Kakashi's black mare suddenly comes to a halt in front of a large clump of boulders. Tenten pulls on her horse's reins, careful not to jostle the hobbit around excessively as she trots over to him.

"Is this...?"

"Yes," he takes a step back. The elusive entrance to Rivendell. Kakashi jumps off his horse and pats his way around the rocks carefully. He finds the passageway minutes later, a slim opening just large enough to fit a full-sized male.

Tenten jumps off her horse, carries Gaara over to his siblings, then unloads her saddle and belongings before beseeching the other hobbits to do the same. "Set them all free," she commands, leaning Gaara against her side, "These horses are clever; they'll know where to go."

Kakashi nods and murmurs into his mare's ear. It bristles, then whinnies to the other horses and charges off. He meets her eye when she hobbles over to him.

"Lord Hiashi will be receiving us kindly, but..."

"I know," she gripes tersely, "I'll be on my best behaviour."

Temari and Kankurou join them, eyeing the opening hesitantly. "What is this, exactly?"

"You'll see," Kakashi replies enigmatically. He eases himself into the hole and gestures for the rest of them to follow through. Tenten waits for the last of Temari's hair buns to disappear before prodding Gaara through the entrance and lifting him into her arms when she walks in. The hobbit turns his head and coughs towards the ground.

Then there's complete darkness, saved only by the gentle footfalls of her travelling companions and the occasional reassurances from their leader.

She spots the light at the end of the tunnel and lets it's warm glow illuminate her entire being. Her breaths grow faster when she hears the subtle echoes of a waterfall filter into the cave, and the soothing melody of her kin's music waft through the air.

Rivendell arrives soon enough, allowing all five members of their troupe to blink rapidly and adjust their eyes to the blinding sunlight. They're greeted by picturesque cliff faces and elegant wooden structures crafted by elven hands. The village is a breathtaking sight for sore eyes.

Lord Hiashi is standing a little way ahead of them, underneath an archway, and beside him are three other elves with identically pale, lilac irises.

"Welcome, Ranger," he announces grandly, gaze falling upon the rest of them, "And friends. No doubt your journey has stiffened your limbs immeasurably."

They all bow respectfully. Kakashi speaks. "Thank you, Lord Hyuga. We came as soon as we received your message."

"Ah, yes." Hiashi notes the sweating Gaara and signals for two of his healers to gently pry him away from Tenten's arms. She smiles at the pink-haired elf with apple-green eyes, and then notices Hiashi staring at her.

"Which realm do you hail from?" He asks, not unkindly.

"The northern woods, sire. King Thranduil sent me in his son's stead."

"Splendid," Hiashi responds diplomatically. "Allow me to introduce to you my daughters, Hinata and Hanabi," the two women curtsy gracefully, sleek black hair shimmering under the sunlight. She's heard legends about the eldest one, that no other elven woman is fairer, nor more akin to the moonlight than Hinata Hyuga. Tenten suspects that any lesser being would have crumbled under the sheer majesty of her delicate beauty - no doubt Lord Hiashi is struggling to find a suitable husband for his daughter.

"The legends do them no justice," Kakashi comments with a smile.

Hiashi inclines his chin slightly, "And my nephew, Neji - a fine, young warrior. He will be joining you on your journey soon."

Tenten watches Neji dip his head and catch her gaze with little more than a flicker of curiosity. He is undeniably handsome, with his ephemeral skin the colour of starlight and his cheekbones a graceful arch beneath his eyes. Neji is silent, almost broodingly so, but the upward tilt of his chin speaks volumes about his arrogance.

All elven folk possess a degree of self-importance, undeniably so. Tenten doesn't deny the fact that even she can be conceited - after all, her impeccable aim has been rivalled by none so far, as is her weapons arsenal - but she is well-versed enough in the ways of the world to know that subtlety is the key to a warrior's success. Any hints of over confidence will be a fatal flaw on any battlefield, regardless of one's renowned skills.

Nonetheless, Tenten bites her tongue and follows the Hyuga family into Rivendell. It would not do to speak her mind as she normally does, lest her kin look to the Mirkwood folk more unfavourably than usual.

Elves are prideful, above all else.


	15. Tenten's Guide to Bodyguard-Dating P4

_**Tenten's Guide to Bodyguard-Dating**_

 _ **Part 4**_

* * *

 **Wednesday, June 29. 6:30AM**

 **From: HN Secretary**

 **To: Tenten**

 **Re: 29 June itinerary**

0900 - Meeting with Hinata Hyuga - 361

1000 - Meeting with Hiashi Hyuga - 360

1200 - Informal Lunch with marketing team - 200

1300 - Annual Fire Drill & Emergency Evacuation Procedure

1500 - Meeting with Naruto Uzumaki - 403

* * *

 **Wednesday, June 29. 7:00AM**

 **From: Hyuga Industries Administration**

 **To: Tenten**

 **Re: Annual Fire Drill**

This is a friendly reminder to all staff members or personnel that the Annual Fire Drill and Emergency Evacuation Procedures will be taking place at 1pm across the entire Headquarters.

Thank you.

* * *

 **Hyuga Industries, Level 1**

 **June 29 | 0806 UTC**

Tenten has done fire drills before. Most of them followed the same protocol - lead everyone to a designated safety area, ensure no one is left behind, secure the premises, perform first aid if necessary. Been there, done that. She could do it in her sleep.

But apparently Hyuga Industries was more hardcore than every other corporation on the ritzier end of Konoha, because they didn't do brief practice drills that only spanned across two to three levels. They did drills for all forty levels of staff, top to bottom.

She'd been locked in a meeting room listening to Shikamaru drone on about security precautions à la Neji Hyuga since six in the morning, nursing her third cup of coffee (black, because no one had replaced the sugar unit yet) and trying her best not to fall asleep from the power of sheer boredom. Shockingly, her team leader seemed to have an inexhaustible vocal stamina, despite the lazy front he put up on a regular basis.

No one prepared this much for a full-scale practice drill unless they had time to spare and money to burn on security, both of which were definitely in Hiashi Hyuga's possession.

Granted, he hadn't had much time until Neji stepped up to work with Hinata, thus allowing the Hyuga patriarch to somewhat loosen his tight hold over Hyuga Industries and pass on the reigns to his family. Somewhat. Rumour (Ino) had it, he was testing his heirs, silently pulling the strings from behind the scenes and ensuring they were up to the task.

Didn't mean he had to pull the rest of the building's staff into his plans, though. The ass.

"In summary," Shikamaru drawled, immediately waking up any staff members - read, Kiba - who were genuinely beginning to doze off. "Any present Hyuga family members will be evacuated to the ground floor with the rest of the building's staff. While Tenten accompanies Mr Hyuga from the stairwell to the evacuation point, the rest of us will secure the premises and ensure no other threats - tangible or not - are present for the duration of the drill."

"Any questions?" He finished up, eyes flashing at the Team like the last thing he wanted was more questions. No one spoke up. Choji's jaws munched on a new bag of chips. "Fantastic. We reconvene on level 36 at noon."

* * *

 **Wednesday, June 29. 12:00PM**

 **From: UNKNOWN NUMBER**

Gaara, here. Temari sent me your number. Want to grab dinner tonight? Cheers.

 **Add 'Gaara no Sabaku' to your contacts?**

 **\- YES**

 **Gaara no Sabaku is added to your contacts.**

* * *

 **Wednesday, June 29. 12:30PM**

 **To: Gaara no Sabaku**

Sure thing :)

* * *

 **Hyuga Industries, Level 20**

 **June 29 | 1300 UTC**

"A fine day for a fire drill," Neji remarked, emerging from Room 200 with a smirk on his face. She smiled back, ears trying their best to ignore the sirens blaring through the building.

"Indeed. Right this way, Mr Hyuga." Shikamaru passed by, Choji and Kiba trailing behind him with their mouths yammering and their eyes darting around. He sent her the briefest of nods and continued down the hallway with the rest of the Team. Tenten led Neji to the door of the stairwell, ushering him inside before closing the door behind them. He was pushed to her left while she walked along the exterior of the fire escape, scanning their surroundings and occasionally updating Shikamaru on their progress.

At level fifteen, Neji broke the relative silence. "How was your morning?"

Tenten tried not to let her steps falter. Truth be told, she had no idea how to deal with Neji anymore, particularly after a combination of his one-sided staring contest from last night and the dress fiasco. Pretending she was busy and working was the most effective way of tackling her silky-haired problem, and it had sufficed up until this very moment.

"Uh," her tongue fumbled, uncharacteristically informal. "It was efficient. After we dropped you off at work, Shikamaru held a meeting for two hours. On the fire drill," she answered the incredulous glint in his eyes, "I know. I went through three cups of coffee. How was your morning?"

Level 14. Kami, time went by slowly when she didn't want it to.

Neji replied vaguely. "Eventful. I may have secured a new business plan."

"Great!" Tenten chirped, genuinely proud. "I take it that that's the reason why you were in so many meetings this morning."

"Indeed."

Level 13.

A new wave of employees entered through the level's fire escape door, gasping when they caught sight of their employer and allowing the both of them to pass through. All talk of business deals, admittedly two seconds of it, went out the window. They lapsed back into an awkward silence, climbing down staircases with the crowd of staff at their heels.

Level 10.

"So," he started quietly, at a volume loud enough for her to hear but quiet enough for the rest of the staff to dismiss as background noise, "How was your dinner last night?"

Tenten blinked. "Well, mostly I was working." A big, fat, white lie.

Neji hummed, his face a carefully-blank canvas. "I do appreciate your unparalleled professionalism, Tenten."

They approached the steps to Level 8 when she graciously accepted his compliment with a "Thank you, sir." Her boss nodded politely.

"However, I was surprised to see the illustrious Sergeant Sabaku in your company."

And there it was.

Tenten internally cringed and struggled to come up with an adequate answer. Of course he would know about Gaara dining with her, even if it was for a short amount of time - he was there when it happened.

She replied in the affirmative.

Neji's lips thinned marginally when she didn't elaborate beyond a confirmation. Tenten panicked, wondering if she should craft an excuse for not paying full attention to him while working. Surely that was the reason why he'd been upset at her. Hyuga Industries had hired her under the impression that she was a professional, someone hard-working who devoted herself to her trade. Tenten went with the truth.

"Apologies, Mr Hyuga. I had no intention of seeing the Sergeant yesterday. It was a chance occurrence."

She noticed his grey eyes look at her intently, a smile gracing his lips. "You are forgiven, but I am not upset." Tenten nodded in relief.

Level 5.

"Am I correct in assuming that you've worked together before?"

"We've never had the opportunity to cross paths while working, no," Tenten shook her head slowly, continuing when his gaze turned inquisitive, "We met when he was living in Konoha. I was four years old."

She heard the cogs turning in Neji's head, connecting the dots of her explanation together. "Childhood friends," he said flatly.

Level 4.

"I wouldn't say friends. Yesterday was the first time I'd seen him in twenty years."

Neji stole another glance at her when they rounded the staircase, amused. "You must have had a busy twenty years, then."

She grinned. "They're all on my resume."

"I've seen it. Impressive feats for someone so young."

Tenten had read his personal information when Sasuke gave her the manila folder of his life story. He was younger than her by months and knew it, but she held her tongue in favour of a gracious thank you. They were on good terms at the moment - better, even, compared to last night's deathly-quiet car ride - and she didn't want to jeopardise that. And besides, he seemed pleased at something, probably his approved venture. She'd be an idiot to spoil his mood.

Level 3.

"Have you ever heard of Minato Namikaze?" Neji spoke up again. Tenten blinked. She did recall a former Mayor surnamed Namikaze. Voice of a God, clear blue-sea eyes, responsible for the Legendary Crime Rate Plummet of '91, and known for famously proposing to his policewoman girlfriend Kushina Uzumaki on live television (he'd called her a Red Hot Habanero, to everyone else's confusion).

"A magnificent Mayor," she replied with a tone of fondness for Konoha's most entertaining and terrifyingly-efficient leader. She'd been upset when he passed away over a decade ago from mysterious causes, but not as much as Naruto had been.

"There will be a Memorial Dinner for him tonight," Neji said softly, "And I am aware that you have the night off." Tenten raised her eyebrows, then lowered them when she realised she wasn't at all surprised that her boss knew her daily timetable. An idiot though he was outside of Hyuga Industries' walls, Neji was known for being annoyingly meticulous and thorough with his work.

Still, where was he going with this.

Level 2.

"Will you accompany to the Dinner?"

She couldn't freeze in place because there were too many people behind them, but Tenten was pretty sure that her feet stopped responding to her brain for a millisecond. She soldiered on to Level 1. It wasn't a date. He was just asking her because he wanted her to work. That was probably it. Neji had plenty of other women to ask anyway - and they were all on the news so he could probably skim through all of his _Ok Konoha_ appearances and choose the one who caught his eye the most.

"I'm afraid I have dinner with a friend tonight. Thank you for extending an invitation to me," Tenten tried keeping her expression neutral when she turned to look at Neji. His face was blank. "I appreciate it, sir."

They reached the lobby, at which she yanked open the door with a little more force than necessary and guided him through.

Breathe.

* * *

 **Wednesday, June 29. 5:30PM**

 **From: Gaara no Sabaku**

Great, how about accompanying me to a function I have tonight?

* * *

 **Wednesday, June 29. 5:32PM**

 **To: Gaara no Sabaku**

I have the night off. Whereabouts?

* * *

 **Wednesday, June 29. 5:34PM**

 **From: Gaara no Sabaku**

At The Senju Hotel. For the Minato Namikaze Memorial Dinner? It starts at eight.

* * *

 **Wednesday, June 29. 5:40PM**

 **To: Gaara no Sabaku**

Sounds great. Pick me up at Temari's at 7:30ish?

* * *

 **Wednesday, June 29. 5:41PM**

 **From: Gaara no Sabaku**

Will do.

* * *

 **Sickle Street, Konoha's CBD**

 **June 29 | 1836 UTC**

Temari greeted her at the door with her hair pulled up into a towel and one of her eyelids smudged with glittery eyeshadow. She welcomed her in with a brief hug. "Bit late," Temari laughed out, guiding Tenten into her living room. "We only have an hour to get you ready now."

"Sorry," Tenten said over her shoulder, depositing the one evening gown she possessed onto the black, leather couch. "I had a meeting to attend before Shikamaru gave me the night off."

The hairdryer was switched on in the bathroom, high-speed whirring sound blasting through the apartment as Tenten laid out the dress over the furniture. She could have worn Deidara's dress for the Memorial Dinner, but the designer had been adamant on adjusting it to her measurements before she could properly keep it in her possession, so she went to a small boutique after the meeting ended and bought the first dress that looked presentable enough while still fitting her comfortably. Read, comfortably enough for her to strap some weapons onto her thighs without it looking suspicious.

While she was by all technicalities off-duty, no well-trained bodyguard truly let their guard down, even if most of the Leaf's Police Department as well as Sasuke's entourage of KIA employees would be present.

Temari emerged from the bathroom with her other eye made-up and a brush running through her sandy-blonde hair. Her friend paused to survey the new garment. "It has nice patterns," she said simply, flipping her dried hair over her shoulder. Tenten agreed. It was a simple dress - strapless black bodice, white tea-length skirt with black and gold constellations embroidered into the fabric - but it rested below her clavicle nicely and allowed her to move with enough agility to fight should the need arise.

Distantly, Tenten wondered what life would be like if she didn't feel the constant need to prepare herself for a battle.

She fell into an amicable conversation with Temari as they both prepared for the Dinner, guffawing at the occasional joke and helping each other into their dresses.

"Ugh," Tenten cried out, her nose pointed towards her armpit, "Do you have any spare razors? I missed a spot in the shower."

"I might have some disposable ones in the bathroom. Hang on," Temari retrieved a disposable razor from the top shelf of her sink and threw it at Tenten, who caught it expertly. She trimmed down the accused hairs, slapping on some moisturising cream before any further damage could be done. "So, who's your date to this dinner anyway?"

All too soon, Tenten recalled Neji inviting her to be his plus-one for the Dinner, then quickly expelled all such thoughts from her mind. Furthermore, she'd been under the impression that Gaara had already notified his sister of the evening's plans, but apparently he hadn't - unless Temari was feigning ignorance. In which case, "Who's yours?"

"I don't have one," she admitted, "I'm on duty at the Dinner. Sasuke would slaughter me if I brought someone on a work night."

A fair point. She noticed Temari looking at her expectantly. Tenten tucked the last strand of her hair into a neat bun and flattened it with hairspray. The digital clock on Temari's wall beeped, 7:30. A few seconds later, the doorbell rang.

Tenten silently lauded Gaara's impeccable timing as Temari ran to answer the door.

"Gaara," Tenten smiled when he stepped in, red hair in its usual disarray. "Right on time." Temari wordlessly closed the door behind her brother, dark irises taking in the scene unfolding before her with barely-concealed joy.

"Hey," he greeted her quietly. She saw his eyes land on her face before they took in her entire appearance. A slight blush formed at his cheeks. "You look nice."

 _He_ looked nice. All fitted tux and smouldering like no tomorrow. Temari walked into the room with an electric fan, turned it on and blew it at their cheeks.

"Cool down, you two. I don't want to see anything happening _before_ the dinner. Or ever, for that matter." Tenten snatched it out of Temari's hands and glowered at the cackling female.

"Anyway," Tenten stammered, feeling the blood sting at her cheeks. She brushed down her skirt and fixed an embarrassed smile on Gaara, who smiled back. "Let's get going."

They filed into Gaara's car, after some last-minute checks in the mirror, after Temari ran upstairs in horror when she realised she hadn't locked her door yet, and revved on the engine. She sat in the front, careful not to mess up the bun. There was an artful pin laced in cobra venom running through it and she didn't want to smudge it over Gaara's car seat.

He pulled out of the driveway and locked in the address of the dinner. When they reached a traffic light, Tenten suddenly noticed him staring at her thigh. She snapped her fingers at him accusatorially.

"Smith & Wesson?"

She looked down, realising that the gun she'd attached to her thigh was currently falling to her ankle. Tenten chuckled.

"Accident," she unabashedly pulled the strap up to the middle of her thigh, aware of his eyes following her every move, before tightening it and yanking her skirt down again. "Thanks for pointing it out."

"No problem." Gaara's face was as red as his hair.

Temari rolled her eyes and extracted a different electric fan from her purse. _Kami_ _._

* * *

 **~Daily Horoscope!~**

Better late than never.


	16. you are my evenstar (part 2)

**AU: Lord of the Rings**

 **Thanks for the huge amount of support everyone! I've done a lot of AUs lately, but honestly they couldn't have had so much success development-wise without everyone reading and enjoying my work. A special shoutout to everyone who's reviewed or let me know personally how they felt about my writing. I love you all.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

* * *

She decides to make a short appearance at Lord Hiashi's welcoming feast for the sake of being polite. Kakashi is already present beside Lord Hiashi's table by the time she walks in, fresh from a lavender-scented bath and dressed in a set of deep green robes. The ranger catches her eye and beckons for her to sit amongst them.

Them, being him, Lord Hiashi and his three relatives.

Tenten strides to the ornate table in four steps, bows deeply to Lord Hiashi, and sits down beside her friend.

"A pleasure to see you here, Tenten," Lord Hiashi greets her. "Your halfling friend is well. Tired and weak, but he is resting and well."

She dips her chin gratefully, feeling her long hair - loose, for the first time in years - fall over her shoulders. "You have my eternal gratitude, Lord Hiashi."

There are several more polite exchanges, and then the food is brought out. On her other side, she feels Neji leaning over in his seat. Her head turns towards him when he leans down.

"Eternity is no small word for an elf."

She is aware. "I choose my words wisely, Lord Neji. My debt to your uncle is eternal."

He leans back, silvery eyes glinting at her curiously. "For a mere halfling's life?"

Tenten shakes her head gently and holds his gaze. "For far more than a hobbit, my Lord."

Neji frowns. "What do you mean?"

"It means," she lifts her sleeve and reveals the tip of a deep, white scar that runs along the length of her right arm. His eyes widen - elves never bleed, much less possess scars. "The unspeakable are rising."

A few more dishes are brought out to the table. Lord Hiashi waves his hand, signalling for the music to begin. Under ordinary circumstances, Tenten would allow herself to lean back and revel in Elven song, but tonight a pink-haired elf walking away from a table from the other side of the room catches her attention. Tenten then remembers her earlier intention, to leave early and check on her hobbit friends, so she rises from her seat.

"My Lords, my Ladies," she gives a respectful nod to her hosts, "If I may request an early leave. I'm afraid the journey has fatigued me."

"Granted," Hiashi, still deep in conversation with Kakashi, waves a hand dismissively. She immediately swivels around and rushes to the pink-haired elf.

Tenten manages to catch up with the female elf just outside of the feast-room. Recognition flickers in her eyes when Tenten greets her. "You are Tenten, the ranger's friend."

"Yes," she nods, "I was wondering-"

"The halflings are resting in the east wing, close to your quarters," she interrupts her, not unkindly. "They're an interesting folk, aren't they? Lively, and brash, but kind."

Tenten agrees. They'd been shocking at first, then amusing, and after a month, loveable. She isn't reputed for being warm to people who cannot fight, and they are the rare exception. "They're jolly," she smiles back.

"My name is Sakura." Cherry blossom. A name befitting the colour of her hair. "I've heard about your adventures in the north, Tenten. H-Have you come across many men in your journeys?"

A spike of curiosity ran through her mind when a blush tinged the tips of Sakura's cheekbones. "The Kingdom of Men lie in the south," she corrects her, "But I have met many, yes."

"Then are you familiar with one by the name of Uchiha?"

The ranger Uchiha? Not many pass by Rivendell - with the exception of Kakashi, who had been raised by elves - and especially not men from Gondor. Tenten wonders how Sakura came to know the Uchiha name, particularly when they were renowned for being cruel and distant to those not-human.

"We have crossed paths before," she replies vaguely, then elaborates when Sakura looks crestfallen at her answer, "In Gondor. He is not a friendly man, by any means."

"That sounds like him," she says, almost fondly.

Not for the first time, Tenten finds herself growing suspicious of the familiarity. When had they met? Rivendell elves never ventured outside of their geographical boundaries, and even then healers like Sakura were rarely ever authorised to leave. She figures that she is better off not prying, given that she's a welcome guest as long as she doesn't insult Lord Hiashi's authority. The affairs of his elves are his to deal with, so she ignores her suspicions and politely asks Sakura to direct her to the hobbits.

"I will guide you," another voice interrupts the directions Sakura had started to dole out. They both turn towards the speaker and bow.

"Lord Neji," Tenten immediately addresses him, confused, "I'd assumed that you would be feasting with the others."

Sakura leaves when Neji waves a hand in dismissal.

"Tonight I wish to rest among the stars," he glances up at the sky for emphasis and turns his attention back to her, "Come." Tenten spends another second looking at his retreating back. She's certain that Neji has tasks much more worthy of his time than guiding a visitor to her friends' resting chambers, and he doesn't seem like the type of elf to trouble himself with the woes of other species either. If the confusion shows on her face, he notices it when he realises she isn't following him and tilts his head around to look at her. "By custom, we treat our guests with the same courtesy that we treat the High Elves, and here you are a guest, Lady Tenten."

His face seems pained to have had to explain the reasoning behind his actions, so she bows politely and catches up to him.

"Imladris has changed considerably since I had last visited," Tenten begins conversationally. Neji glances at her, light eyes glistening curiously.

"Things have been this way for centuries now," he pauses to let her walk onto a bridge first. Tenten dips her head and marvels at the moonlight reflecting off the water. Behind her, Neji continues speaking, "How old are you?"

"Quite," she responds, smiling lightly at his expression. "I have seen many Ages pass, Lord Neji." They reach the end of the bridge. She recognises the lake that she'd passed on her way to the feast and surmises that they have reached the east wing.

"Then you are far wiser than I, my Lady," Neji matches her stride when they disembark from the bridge, allowing his long hair to flow behind him freely. Tenten shakes her head.

"I am older, but I have ventured outside of my home very few times. Ennor is still a strange land to me."

"Then I am sure you will be seeing more of it sooner," he stops in front of a door and gives her a knowing look, "We have reached your hobbit friends. This is where our paths will diverge - have a good night."

* * *

Tenten enters the room and sees Kankurou sitting on Gaara's left and Temari on the right. All three hobbits look considerably less haggard than when they'd first arrived; to Tenten's relief, colour has re-entered and revived Gaara's ghostly-pale face.

"Tenten!" Temari's eyes light up. The female hobbit has seen better, more nutritious days when the Shire had granted them the comforts of home, but still - Tenten spots the empty platters lying in a pile on the floor and she is pleased that they have at least regained their infamous hobbit appetite. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," she replies graciously, "How is Gaara?"

"Better," Gaara responds, voice still slightly hoarse. His light green eyes are roaming over the room appreciatively. "This is a beautiful place."

"He's been marvelling at the architecture since he'd woken up earlier," Kankurou explains, when Tenten looks mildly confused, "Always the strange little hobbit. It is beautiful, but a bit cold, I would say."

"Too big," Temari agrees vehemently.

Tenten smiles at them and sits down in a chair. "Indeed. I've always favoured smaller homes myself."

"What's it like?" Gaara joins in, eyes regaining their typical sharp focus. "Your home."

She immediately pictures cavernous hallways, open-aired spaces for dining and dancing beneath the starlight, rooms embedded into rock-faces and dotting the underground with bright, white light. A sudden wave of homesickness hits her. Tenten desperately wants to return home, to where her people are, but knows that home is far away in both distance and time. She will not see it until her assigned task is finished. "It is closed," she says after a beat of silence, "And intricate."

As always, they look disappointed with her vague answers. She bites back her amusement. "It is late. Gaara will be tended to during the night, and I suggest that you all rest well for tomorrow - it will be a long day."

"What's happening tomorrow?" Kankurou asks.

"There will be a meeting with Lord Hiashi's Council. I will also be there, as will you."

"For what?" She sees Gaara clutch at something beneath his shirt and looks at him knowingly.

"The Ring."

* * *

 **-misspandalily**


	17. WIP: A la Fairy Catering

**AU: Neji, Tenten and Lee are catering fairies. This is a WIP that I've had floating around for far too long and haven't had the energy to complete, but enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do take credit for 'catering fairies'.**

* * *

 _You have been cordially invited to:_

 _The Annual Birthday Gala of Her Royal Faeness Queen Tsunade_

 _On Eve's Day,_

 _When the clock strikes midnight,_

 _At 50 Tulip Lane,_

 _Konoha Boulevard._

* * *

"This must be a mistake," is the first sentence Neji utters when he walks into the private kitchen. Tenten rolls her eyes, but keeps her head trained on transferring glittering pastries onto delicate, leafy plates. "I recall getting an invitation to the Gala, not _serving_ at it."

She straightens up, rolling her shoulders and letting her wings flutter from behind. Their tips hit Neji's cheek as he leans over her shoulder and examines the pastries. Ever the perfectionist, he clicks his fingers and drapes tiny rose petals over the treats. "Yes. _You_ got an invitation. _Lee and I_ were left out to do the catering."

At the mention of his name, Lee bursts through the door through which Neji arrived, more green plates piled on top of his arms. "I got more!" He shouts proudly, to which Tenten beams and Neji grimaces. She turns back to her desserts and picks up two plates to load onto a serving tray.

"Go have fun, Neji," Lee grins at him from his peripheral vision, pointing a thumb into the air, and Tenten offers him a reassuring smile. "We can do this easily."

After a beat, Neji ties his hair back into a low knot and dons their trademark headband. It fits over his sealed forehead comfortably. "I don't _do_ fun." Their smiles fall slightly. "But you two are my exceptions."


End file.
